Prairie-dog burrowing was already feared to damage the prairies.
Evidence
The Wish-ton-Wish has few enemies, and is a most prolific animal. From its enormous increase and the energy and extent of its burrowing operations, one can fancy that in the course of years the prairies will be seriously injured, as it honeycombs the ground, and renders it unsafe for horses. — Isabella L. Bird, A Lady’s Life in the Rocky Mountains, 117
Categorization
- SEED: An essay angle: a 19th-century traveler predicting prairie-dog-driven ecological damage — an early, prescient note on keystone species.
- XREF: connects to: Prairie dogs dig so extensively they threaten the prairie ground — Isabella L. Bird, A Lady’s Life in the Rocky Mountains, 48
Related
- Prairie dogs dig so extensively they threaten the prairie ground (similarity 0.93)