Experts warn of stress on prairie lands

The director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says there's a "crisis on the prairie" as demand for energy and other goods put pressure on the land.

Dan Ashe was the keynote speaker Monday at the Prairie Summit, a meeting of conservation and wildlife experts in Bismarck.

Ashe says as the world population continues to grow, demands for what is produced on and from the land will continue to escalate. That includes food, recreational opportunities and energy.

Biologists say agriculture and energy exploration can break up habitat and restrict the movement of wildlife or move animals out of their home range entirely.

The Bismarck Tribune says that even though there's a record number of ducks on the prairie, 70 percent of the country's native grasslands are gone.

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Information from: Bismarck Tribune