Prairie Dogs, Theodore Roosevelt National Park, ND
Within the North Unit of the park, the Buckhorn Trail leads down from the painted canyons to a large grassy area that is home to the park’s Black-tailed Prairie Dogs. Prairie dogs are not dogs, but rodents, more closely related to ground squirrels or chipmunks than dogs. They live in a colony or “town” that consists of a large number of closely spaced burrows, each comprising multiple entrances to provide escape routes from predators, which are diverse and numerous. Badgers, coyotes, fox, bobcats and a variety of birds of prey all hunt prairie dogs.
Today, towns are widely scattered and found mainly in protected habitats. A hundred years ago, they stretched for miles across open prairies, but prairie dogs were poisoned to the brink of extinction by ranchers who mistakenly thought that they were competing with their cattle for food.
Places That I Love
For the vast majority of my career, my own photography was an afterthought. Very soon after I started working professionally as a photojournalist, I became a full-time academic and for more than 40 years, my students came first. We traveled the world together, but my role was that of an editor and mentor, not a photographer. Rarely would I have time for my own work. Of course, that was of my choosing and it was a gift, not a burden.
Toward the end of my career, my teaching and advising focus shifted from undergraduate to graduate students, who were allowed to travel without a faculty escort. This allowed me time for some personal projects and assignments, and time to travel with family and friends, something I still do today.
This gallery has no thematic or geographic parameters, it’s just a grouping of photographs from places that I love, places that evoke special memories or moments that I enjoyed experiencing.
