Prairie Dog Pursuit

Photo: BaronBrian, Flickr Creative Commons

In and around a small city west of Kansas City, Kansas, a battle between locals and environmentalists rages on over prairie dogs—including the endangered black-footed ferret—their presence in the area, and the pesticides used to eliminate them.

Despite being tarred and feathered by the local press, and hissed at by their neighbors, some people are taking a stand against those who want to kill all prairie dogs.

In the November-December issue of Audubon, Ted Williams recounts his trip to Kansas to see for himself the state of these small, important animals.