Yet, it was the Northern Plains and its staggering abundance of wildlife (buffalo and antelope, grizzly bear and elk, mule deer and prairie dog) that seized the imaginations and affections of the explorers.
This town of nearly 9,000 people was the perfect rest stop after a trek of some 22 miles through swamps, pine forests and deer-filled prairies.
Wind Cave National Park and Custer State Park, to the north, comprise a game sanctuary that contains herds of antelope, deer, and bison; prairie dogs and coyotes; and many species of birds.
Then they were going to demolish all the buildings, fill in all the caves, replant native grass and turn Treece into a "wildlife preserve," a grassy tabula rasa that would attract turkeys and quail and deer and wild prairie chickens — just like before the mining companies ever came.
Female prairie deer (P. maniculatus bairdii; captive stock = BW) mated with male oldfield mice (P. polionotus; captive stock = PO) produce growth retarded offspring [28], [29].
Cushing [9] showed that weasels (Mustela nivalis) prefer the scents of estrous over diestrous prairie deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus bairdi), and Sundell et al. [10] and Ylönen et al. [11] demonstrated a similar attraction by weasels to the odours of two common prey species, the bank (Myodes glareous) and field (Microtus agrestis) vole.
Mammals in this area include bison, deer, pronghorn, coyotes, and prairie dogs.
The decision to clear cut without any warning pissed off a lot of people, including dog walkers who had used the forest's paths for decades and environmentalists concerned about the immediate impacts of deforestation on wetlands, deer, migratory birds and prairie grasses.
"Our days were spent in hunting; but our prey was more elusive and more valuable than any forest deer or mountain bear or prairie buffalo," he said.
WILD ANIMAL "Nick News With Linda Ellerbee" examines what happens when coyotes, bears, prairie dogs, geese, deer and antelope try to occupy the same space as people.
