Grasslands research (IMAGE) University of Wyoming Caption Researchers Courtney Duchardt, right, then a UW Ph.D. student, and David Augustine, of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, examine a mountain plover in the Thunder Basin National Grassland. Mountain plovers, a bird that thrives when vegetation is kept shorter by prairie dogs, almost disappeared from the study area when plague decimated prairie dog numbers in 2017. Credit Jacob Hennig Usage Restrictions None License Original content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.