Prairie dogs steal ferret's thunder

Nov. 29, 2006

By MIKE CORN
Hays Daily News

OAKLEY — An open house Tuesday was all about the black-footed ferrets that could be introduced in Logan County.

And even though a ferret was on hand for the meeting — en route from Colorado to the Hutchinson Zoo — ferrets weren’t on the minds of most people attending the open house.

Instead, it was prairie dogs.

Granted, the glass display case where the ferret was housed was a focal point of the meeting, but most of the people migrated there after visiting with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service about its plan to reintroduce the endangered mammal.

That plan covers a five-year period and likely would include the release of ferrets each year.

The ferret brought to Oakley on Tuesday was a retired breeder that was part of a five-pup litter born in 2002, according to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist Paul Marinari.

The Hutchinson-bound ferret was named Bronx, part of the wildlife agency’s tribute to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

“He’s going to be a permanent Kansas resident,” Marinari said as he transferred the animal from the carrying crate to a display case.

The ferret was joined Tuesday by a new player in the effort to reintroduce the animal onto two ranches in southwest Logan County: Jonathan Proctor, the Denver-based representative of the Defenders of Wildlife.

He engaged several people in discussions concerning the attempt to reintroduce the ferret, including State Rep. Virginia Beamer, R-Oakley.

She turned up at the meeting to drop off written comments for herself and Sen. Ralph Ostmeyer, R-Grinnell, who was unable to attend.

Both opposed the reintroduction effort.

“I think they did not go far enough on the assessment of the impact on ranchers,” Beamer said. “They should release the black-footed ferret on federal land so they don’t have the problems. They have plenty of federal land to do that.”

Proctor couldn’t resist asking questions, suggesting that Kansas — specifically Logan County — was an ideal place for the reintroduction of ferrets into an area they had once inhabited.

Beamer instead said state law requires the extermination of prairie dogs — the main source of food for ferrets — and that should be taking into considering.

“We’ve spent millions saving these animals from extinction,” Proctor said.

And he said the ferret could be cause for something of an economic boost, such as his decision to stay in a motel in Oakley on Monday night.

“This is a tremendous opportunity, and there’s got to be a way where we can address the neighbors’ concerns,” he said of the prairie dogs.

“The concern is there will be more prairie dogs on that land,” Beamer said.

“I happen to like wildlife, and I think the majority of Kansans like wildlife,” Proctor said.

“It’s interesting, you’re saying one side, and I’m hearing another side,” Beamer responded.

The discussion attracted a few onlookers, including two Rawlins County residents.

“Prairie dogs and cattle don’t mix,” said Rawlins County rancher Dick Roesch.” We have to make a living.”

Proctor sought to downplay the effect that prairie dogs have on the ranching industry. “I think prairie dogs are being made a scapegoat.”

“We’ve got to let them live here,” he said. “And this is a great place to let them live.”

“It’s a good idea, but I don’t think it’s going to work,” Roesch said.

Proctor was undeterred, but there was no way he could have convinced Jerome Bussen, a Wallace resident who owns land in Logan County.

“I’ve lived here for almost 80 years,” he said. “I’ve seen a lot of prairie dogs in my day. The reason we’ve got this law is because prairie dogs are impossible to control.”

Reporter Mike Corn can be reached at (785) 628-1081, Ext. 129, or by e-mail at mcorn@dailynews.net.