Prairie Dog Greenbelt Update #1 Turned Dirt, Crosses, More Writing, One left?

crosses are here

I just wanted to do a quick update about what has been happening with the local greenbelt.   After the prairie dogs were exterminated for a second time the city turned all the dirt, killing all the wonderful plants. I know that most of the plants there were invasive and non-native, but still. Is it just me or does it seem wrong to kill so many oxygen makers? Please leave a comment if you can.
previously beautiful, green, living (etc.…) field near my neighborhood is now but a sea of brown (yet fluffy) dirt.

The Brown Graveyard

While walking down the path the other day, I was near tears. All the wonderful life was gone, like an empty playground in the middle of summer. It seemed apoptolictic (is that the word for apocalypse-like?)turning around the corner  my heart lept. There was a large-ish gathering of crosses. There were quite a few (like around twenty, maybe more) Big burly crosses, some of which said things like “we sacrificed” or something. There was one big cross that said “prairie dogs poisoned by Lakewood city officials” And next to the bigger, nicer, Crosses; there was a small gathering of crosses that I had put out a while ago. I would like to thank every single person who helped with the crosses.  We all appreciate you! 

Okay another thing I wanted to talk about: as I’m guessing many of you know I blogged a lot last December, almost a year ago. But not much this year! I’m thinking of writing more, so if you want to be able to see everything as soon as it comes out please enter your email into the box on the top of this page, (where it says “email address” then “submit”) and press that submit button, that will make you become a follower of the blog! :D

Here is the last thing I wanted to mention:  If you walk down the path that my apartment overlooks, you will see a large brown field, but there may be a slightly lighter dot, one that is moving around, often looking over the destruction.  I think this may be the last prairie dog left. If anyone sees him/her can you comment?  I will look into relocating this little guy/girl, it must be heart crushing to be him/her…

Again thank you all for that page view you just gave me! I love you all! :D

---Cymbre Arwen Smith

"Living on Burrowed Time" Prairie Dog Gala Overview

I'm guessing some of you have seen my last three posts that I did live from the Living On Burrowed Time gala. It was a really fun thing to do, even though they were really short. 

So first  I think I need to explain why the gala did not happen a really long time ago.  I'm guessing most of you heard about the 100-500 year flood that happened in Colorado recently. Well the flood reached the place that the gala was going to be so it had to be canceled.   Also most of the prairie dog coalition that runs it lived in Boulder and were busy either getting the water out of their own house or saving prairie dogs from being drowned in the water.   So it was rescheduled to Saturday.

I know I was going to interview as many people as I could but everything was really busy and no one looked like they really wanted to be interviewed (shorthand for me being too shy to ask anyone).  Now that I a thinking about it afterward I feel really bad for not interviewing anyone, and not asking permission to blog what anyone said...

So I'm just going to do a quick overview of what happened two days ago:

My earings hanging on a glass

I arrived a few minutes after reception started in my fancy dress and my handmade (by me) prairie dog angel earrings and my (also handmade by me) angel prairie dog necklace.  I had my mobile blogging unit (smartphone) in my moms old fancy purse  because my phone carrier was sort of dirty… The whole drive there I was terrified that I would be over/under dressed or that I would be "the little kid" in the crowd (you know what I am talking about fellow children!) You see, I never go to fancy things so I have very little experience in this subject.

I walked in the front door my fears being amplified 20x from all the people in completely casual clothing.  I felt really out of place, worried that no one would talk to me because I was dressed oddly.  Then we walked up  to the gala check in desk, my mom and I got our name tags and bidding numbers. As soon as we turned the corner over to the gala and away from the people staying at the hotel, my fears completely disappeared, every single person was dressed wonderfully fancy and super nice.My mom and I walked around looking at all the things and looking for Lindsey Sterling Krank, the director of the prairie dog coalition.  We found her and gave her another prairie dog angel necklace/Christmas ornament/thingy. She was very happy!

My necklace on a silver chain

Dr. Slobodchikoff and me

We searched around the silent auction that was going on before the dinner started.  I checked out the VIP lounge that apparently I had been on the list of, (I wish I hadn't forgot, it would have been fun to get there for the VIP reception that started an hour early).  Inside was Con Slobodchikoff who it was just amazing to be in the same room as, his work is legendary and amazing.  I got to tell him I was a big fan and take a picture with him! It was so cool!!!  

After that my mom and I bid on some things we wanted, she really wanted a juicer and was the top bid until just before the auction ended, when someone else out bid her. I bid on a prairie quilt, and the two books by Dr. Con Slobodchikoff, both were signed.  My mom also decided to go half and half on a wonderful set of hand blown Christmas ornaments (a present for my dad).

After that I got to talk to a few interesting people throughout the crowd.   I got a stuffed prairie dog (like a toy, not an actual dead prairie dog that was stuffed so it could be decoration , I hate those, yuck) I'm still working on a name for her. 

Nameless the Prairie Dog

Now this is cool: I was walking to check if I was still on the top bid for my books when someone dropped a stuffed prairie dog that was like mine. I quickly picked it up and gave it to her, saying that she had dropped it (actually I picked it up and looked around, then someone pointed to her and took it form me and gave it to her then pointed me out).  She was very grateful and we started talking. She turned out to be Lisa Morzel mayor pro-tem of Boulder!! (a city council member that is mayor when there is an election going on or something similar that means that the mayor is unavailable).  I got her card!

After all that the dinner started (well actually it started a little while later, but that time was just full of me standing around occasionally chatting with people. A lot of people complemented my earrings/necklace and said I should make them for the silent auction next year).

There were some cool people at the table that I was sitting at. I forgot to ask any of them if I could put them in my blog so I'm not going to give any details!  After we ate for a little while people started getting up on stage and talking about prairie dogs and people who helped them. They gave out some awards and then Dr Slobodchikoff started talking about his research, it is really amazing!

Then the live auction started,  the speed that the guy was talking was truly amazing, and headache inducing!

After watching for a little while someone else at the table went to get their silent auction winnings.  Being reminded by that my mom and I went to get our things. It turns out that the only thing that we won were the signed books (chasing doctor Doolittle and Prairie Dogs)

Around that time the thing ended. People started leaving the building and getting ready to go.

I'm so happy  that I was not over dressed. I am also so happy that so many people are so passionate about prairie dogs!!! Thank you all

Live long planet earth and the prairie dogs

---Cymbre Arwen Smith

Fast talking: Praire Dog Gala, Update #3

Wow, I'm at the live auction right now. This guy is talking really fast! And lots of really cool really expensive things...

Dinner: Prairie Dog Gala, Update #2

Just a quick update. I'm at dinner, so yeah... Everyone is wonderful here. The nicest people, so many vegans!

Slobodchikoff and me, gala update #1

I'm writing a quick blog post in my phone. I'll explain why this its not a lot earlier when I'm not trying to type on a phone. But anyway for the next few hours whenever anything cool happens I will post.
I just got to chat with Con S.! And take a picture with him! So cool!
I'll post a pic when I get home.


Edit:
Home now, Here is the picture of him and me:

Con Slobodchikoff, Ph.D. And Me

Living on burrowed time gala

Friday is the annual living on burrowed time gala!!! My mom and I both have tickets and I am super exited to meet everyone there! Anyone who is going who might like to meet up at the gala with me please email me at cymbresmith5@gmail.com I would love to meet anyone and everyone!!!

Unfortunately I am guessing most of you will not be going to the gala (I think about 50% of my readers are from countries other than the US) but for this group of people never fear, a blogger is here! (Note to self, don’t try to rhyme in public) But anyway I am going to be interviewing as many people that I can at the gala. Also I will be reporting every last detail I can, on this blog.  

 I’m hoping that after reading the blog post after the gala more locals will go next year, and end up getting more money for the prairie dogs!

Long Live Planet Earth and the Prairie dogs!!!

---Cymbre Arwen Smith

The Tiny People Die, AGAIN!!!

Lately my little section of the world involving prairie dogs has been happy. A few weeks ago the city and one volunteer relocated fifty three prairie dogs from the town near my house.  Today I was walking down that wonderful trail a bit sad from the lack of prairie dogs, but happy that they all found a great new home in some other field that is better size for them.

But then I saw them. Large tractor like things sitting on the middle of the field on the tractors there were large tanks with tubes leading down into prairie dog holes. Men were moving the tubes from hole to hole. A woman walked up to my mom and me and said that they were gassing the remaining prairie dogs. Turns out that there were estimated to be sixty three prairie dogs left in the holes that they were gassing right at that moment. A Lakewood city truck went in front of us;  we asked the man in it to talk with us, which he did. After we had talked with him for a little while, a small crowd gathered. I feel bad for the poor guy, having to make a really tough decision to kill the tiny people and getting yelled at by a bunch of people all in one day.

The man was trying to look at all sides of the argument. Prairie dogs being a keystone species, prairie dogs allowing invasive plants from Europe to grow in the field that used to be pure short grass prairie, and prairie dogs having too many tunnels for other animals like voles. I am just happy that he did not bring up prairie dogs having plague (a complete lie).

The man said that he had put up signs around the field saying that relocation efforts were happening and that there was going to be a gassing soon. Everyone in the small group of people that had gathered said that they never saw the signs.

I feel as if the latest death is possibly my fault. If I had not been lazy and had written about the relocation on my blog or something, then I feel as if more people would have shown up and helped with the relocation. While only one person actually volunteered (Marc Ayoub was the one who volunteered, he was the other person who spoke about the prairie dogs at the city council meeting last December) I didn’t help because I was out of town when they were doing the relocations.

Please if there is anything you can think of to help the prairie dogs, such as commenting on this post if a town near you is going to/already has been/be poisoned or killed in any way, or sharing this post to a friend, or just telling a friend about the prairie dogs and their humanish ways.

I’m going to stop writing this post for now. My hand is starting to hurt from rapid typing and I am starting to cry, I’m guessing many of you know how hard it is to write and cry. Thank you so much for reading this blog, and for loving the tiny people! I love you all so much, thank you for making me stronger from that page-view you just gave me! JJJ