To the editor:

As in other cities in Minnesota, ours has begun to limit the number of animals a person can have on their property in town. How many horses-dogs-cats-rabbits etc. Why not chipmunks or striped gophers as I call them? Now that stray dogs and cats are out of the alleys GUESS WHAT? The invasion of wild rabbits and striped gophers has begun. What can we as citizens of our fair city do about this act of ANIMAL TERRORISM?

They dig holes everywhere and can go down at least 6 feet and 45 feet in length underground with several dens for breeding.They eat plants and crops in your gardens and can ruin retaining walls that help hold back flood waters (can you say New Orleans) or Katrina flooding. Again what can we do about this problem?

I would like to offer this idea just like I did with the County Building and Zoning Department on 9/18/15. I first would like to create a Park or Safe Haven for these RODENTS as they are defined in a dictionary. If dogs can have a park why can we not build one for these rodents in the city or county close to the airport? In Hutchinson Kansas they have one for prairie dogs, why can’t we have one for Gophers or Chipmunks or Striped Gophers? This is the gopher state, is it not? Look at the people or Bunny Huggers that would come to see it. We could catch these rodents in our yards and release them in the park! Even though they will most likely be back by morning. And if you get a happy chipmunk like ALVIN he might just stay there.

If we even do this in the country we could get in touch with the Dept. of Ag. or the Dept. of Land Management we could make it C.R.P. land and get paid by the goverment like some farmers do already.

Idea number 2 is to continue with the State of Minnesota Statute with paying for the Tails or Feet of said gophers from $1.50 per tail or $.50 per foot. Even as late as 2009 counties like Nicollet or Blue Earth counties, according to the StarTribune on Jan. 17, 2009 they were still paying the bounties. The counties got their money back from the state and actually made money for their county. Back in 1920 this was put on the books in Minnesota, even Beaver Tails made you $45 if it was caught in a county ditch.

We as city residents did not have this much problem with rodents when stray dogs and cats were around – how soon will the RATS from along the river start coming back across the tracks like in the 1960’s. How about it people – let the stray dogs – the four legged ones not TWO – roam the alleys again or let the cats back before your kids will mistake a RAT for a Cat – here kitty kitty kitty.

Rick Howk

New Ulm