Sophia Haase Cox (she/her) Hometown: Mill Valley, CA Major: Biology, BS '24, MS '25 Internship: Smithsonian Institution
Sophia Haase Cox reflects on the rhythm of daily life doing field research on the prairie in north eastern Montana
The day starts early on the prairie; whether it’s the bison beginning to roam, prairie dogs barking their territorial defense, or research interns heading out for a day of data collection. Awake by 5 a.m., and soon out the door in field gear to protect from sun, snakes, and insects, the prairie greets you as a vibrant living landscape. The bison are always a thrill to see; whether it be a lone bull grazing quietly, or the impressive sight of the herd pouring over the hill and stampeding past. One can’t help but be awed by their massive strength, and we retreat to the truck to watch them pass. The landscape consists of seemingly never-ending rolling hills of golden grass, rippling in the wind, not a tree in sight. However, the prairie is far from empty. Bird and insect songs fill the air, and each step into the grass results in a cloud of grasshoppers jumping away from your boot. From a distance the prairie appears a uniform green or brown, but up close there is a dizzying variety of grasses, wildflowers, and even cacti.
But the true soundtrack to my summer is only heard when we head out onto the prairie dog towns. The prairie dogs stand on the edges of their burrows, chirping and barking warning calls to alert their neighbors to our approaching presence. This sound is the constant accompaniment to our work as we collect data on their population and distribution, the vegetation biomass and composition, soil moisture and microbes, and the insects who live alongside the prairie dogs. The cacophony of hundreds of chirping prairie dogs, the sound of a healthy prairie dog town, becomes so ingrained in our minds that my fellow interns joke about hearing it in our sleep.
However, when we set out to collect data on some prairie dog towns, we are instead met with an eerie silence. There are scattered mounds of dirt marking prairie dog burrows, but only the occasional chirp, and spider webs have filled in the entrance to many burrows. These prairie dog ghost towns are a poignant reminder of the goals of our work. Sylvatic plague, caused by the bacteria responsible for the Black Death, is a major cause of prairie dog population decline, as they are highly susceptible. Infection spreads quickly across the community, and a whole town can be wiped out in a few weeks. The Smithsonian’s Conservation Biology Institute, in coordination with American Prairie, is researching the effect of plague mitigation, which involves insecticide treatment to kill the fleas that spread the disease, on prairie dog towns. Plague mitigation is essential for the continued survival of prairie dogs, a keystone species and ecosystem engineer. Understanding the impact of these insecticide treatments on the entire ecosystem is critical to the future survival of the prairie itself
After a long day in the sun, we all head back to the research center, ready for dinner while we watch the sunset. This begins the slow sleep of the prairie, as the insects and prairie dogs quiet for the night, the nocturnal animals emerge, and the interns head to bed to rest up for another early sunrise and day on the prairie.
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