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Prairie Dog Pals

Dedicated to the Preservation of Prairie Dogs and their Habitat

Biscuit the Packrat disses Phil, Elmo in her spring prediction

February 9, 2018 by PDP

MEDICINE PARK  Well, it was Groundhog Day, again – at least in some parts of the country.

In the cobblestone community, Punxsutawney Phil and his groundhog brethren were cast aside as false prophets  bearers of untrue weather forecasts and fake news. Friday was not “Groundhog Day;” it was “Packrat Day.” Even Elmer Thomas Elmo and his prairie dog compatriots were not immune from scorn, as the Medicine Park Aquarium and Natural Sciences Center consulted its own prophesying prodigy rodent, Biscuit the Packrat, to determine whether Southwest Oklahoma would see six more weeks of winter or enjoy an early spring.

Doug Kemper, executive director, said Biscuit would not hold back against anyone who questioned her abilities  or her standing as the portending packrat.

“Perhaps if they wanted to be taken more seriously, they could come out more often, instead of staying inside for the whole winter and only appearing after spring has arrived,” he said.

It was a cold, blustery and fairly wintry Friday morning when residents and delegates gathered at the aquarium to hear the prognostications of the packrat. When Chekhov saw the long winter, he saw a winter bleak and dark and bereft of hope. Yet we know that winter is just another step in the cycle of life. But standing among the people and basking in the warmth of their hearths and hearts, few could imagine a better fate.

Among the crowd was Mayor Jennifer Ellis, decked in a bright red coat and sparkling black top hat  the true uniform of the master of ceremonies. She gave a short speech that emphasized the history of the holiday formerly known as Groundhog Day while espousing the foretelling nature of Biscuit’s talents. Phil may be the only true “groundhog forecaster,” but groundhog forecasters don’t have an impeccable track record. A packrat’s record is still pristine.

“At first, when Biscuit the Packrat first came to the Medicine Park Aquarium, the staff thought she was an ordinary southern plains packrat,” Ellis said. “However, after careful observation, we think Biscuit may have strange meteorological powers. Perhaps, Biscuit is able to predict future weather events. Or perhaps not.”

Biscuit, happily sheltered from the biting cold and blustery winds in a plastic ball, was plucked from a cardboard box and held up in the air for all gathered to see. The sun shone brightly overhead in the morning hours, but Biscuit claimed not to have seen a shadow. Perhaps it was the plastic diffusing the solar rays. Perhaps it was the poor eyesight of the packrat. Or perhaps Biscuit knew something no one else in attendance did  that groundhogs cannot predict the weather and their methods are flawed. But the presumptuous packrat predicted an early spring  no matter whether a shadow was spotted or not.

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Fun

2017 Garage Sale:::::Part UNO!!!!!

September 23, 2017 by PDP

Well today, 23 September, the end of the world (for some) was PDP’s annual garage sale (part UNO). It was a very dicey day in terms of weather with pleasant fall weather winning out of the sprinkles that plagued the set up and early morning. Many thanks to Ray, Tania, Ella, Cassidy, Debra, Yvonne, Phil, Margaret, Graziella, and C Rex who helped set up, or woman/man the tables, promote sales, close deals, etc., or woman the refreshment table. The margaritas were excellent and the pulled tofu divine. I don’t know how we did as yet but we did very well in the pre-sales thanks to donations from Jane and Mikki! Many Many thanks to those of you who donated to make this possible. But wait, you said part UNO…well yes, we had a lot of treasures left over at the end of the day and Debbie has volunteered to do a 3 day garage sale for the remaining items. Soooooooo if you have anything else, or want to help let C Rex know at prairiedogpals@comcast.net. You have a second, third and fourth chance!!!!

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Fun

The 2017 Class is ready……

May 25, 2017 by PDP

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Can prairie dogs talk?

May 13, 2017 by PDP

Con Slobodchikoff and I approached the mountain meadow slowly, obliquely, softening our footfalls and conversing in whispers. It didn’t make much difference. Once we were within 50 feet of the clearing’s edge, the alarm sounded: short, shrill notes in rapid sequence, like rounds of sonic bullets.

We had just trespassed on a prairie-dog colony. A North American analogue to Africa’s meerkat, the prairie dog is trepidation incarnate. It lives in subterranean societies of neighboring burrows, surfacing to forage during the day and rarely venturing more than a few hundred feet from the center of town. The moment it detects a hawk, coyote, human or any other threat, it cries out to alert the cohort and takes appropriate evasive action. A prairie dog’s voice has about as much acoustic appeal as a chew toy. French explorers called the rodents petits chiens because they thought they sounded like incessantly yippy versions of their pets back home.

On this searing summer morning, Slobodchikoff had taken us to a tract of well-trodden wilderness on the grounds of the Museum of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff. Distressed squeaks flew from the grass, but the vegetation itself remained still; most of the prairie dogs had retreated underground. We continued along a dirt path bisecting the meadow, startling a prairie dog that was peering out of a burrow to our immediate right. It chirped at us a few times, then stared silently.

“Hello,” Slobodchikoff said, stooping a bit. A stout bald man with a scraggly white beard and wine-dark lips, Slobodchikoff speaks with a gentler and more lilting voice than you might expect. “Hi, guy. What do you think? Are we worth calling about? Hmm?”

Read More:  Talk

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Fun, Information about Prairie Dogs, News Tagged: language

Celebrate Earth Day!

April 21, 2017 by PDP

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Fun, News

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