When you consider that a prairie dog is only about the size of a rabbit, the controversy these rodents provoke is truly out of proportion. Ranchers 鈥╰ry to eradicate them because, among other reasons, they can compete with livestock for food. By contrast, Maureen Lawry,鈥 an educator with the , embraces prairie dogs to teach grade-school students about the prairie grass ecosystem, 鈥╥n an award-winning puppet show she created starring 鈥≒etey the Prairie Dog.
鈥淗e鈥檚 the keystone species,鈥 she says. 鈥淗e鈥檚 directly responsible for nine other animals,鈥 including the endangered black-footed ferret, the ferruginous hawk, and the mountain plover. On top of that, Petey and his kin aerate the soil, trim the grass, and create shelter for reptiles, bugs, and small mammals during the summer heat鈥攁ll crucial 鈥╰o keeping the grasslands alive and well.
Lawry tells the prairie dog鈥檚 tale with puppets that include a burrowing owl and 鈥╝ coyote. The first year, she performed for 100 people; half a decade later, almost 1,600 have learned from Petey and his pals. Puppets seem to reach Lawry鈥檚 young audience in a way a written story 鈥╟an鈥檛. 鈥淭here鈥檚 this emotional connection,鈥 she says. 鈥淵ou can see that these animals have 鈥╝ need. Puppets are like little ambassadors to the children鈥檚 world.鈥
This story聽originally聽ran聽in the July-August 2013 issue聽as聽"Puppet Master.鈥