🌾 “Prairie dogs are ecosystem engineers. As they go about their lives, they change their surroundings in ways that provide shelter, food and even nurseries for other species. On the grasslands of Montana, prairie dog colonies are islands of biodiversity. . . . 🌾 “Their burrows provide homes for many animals, including burrowing owls, badgers, swift fox, tiger salamanders, gopher snakes and black-footed ferrets, to name a few. The closely-cropped grass lawns they keep around their colonies are

Prairie dogs live in huge, underground networks called "towns." [VID: Did you know? Prairie dogs live in "towns." Towns are huge, underground burrows, found in the prairies and plateaus of North America. Undisturbed towns have tens of thousands of prairie dog residents and go for miles in every direction. In 1900, a prairie dog town the size of Maryland was discovered in Texas. Its tunnels were home to an estimated 400 million prairie dogs.] | Nature | PBS

Have you ever seen one of Philmont's prairie dog towns? Their burrows allow for water to penetrate and aerate the soil. Additionally, their nitrogen-rich scat acts as a natural fertilizer which helps improve soil quality throughout the ranch. Not only do humans provide a great amount of conservation to the backcountry, but prairie dogs also heavily contribute to the overall health of the ecosystem that we call HOmE. #philmont #IWGBTP #philstaff #newmexicotrue #scoutmein #HOmE #hikeon #open4adven