Squirrels are exasperating the people of Minot, burrowing everywhere from vacant lots to the middle of town.
MINOT, N.D. — Weighing less than a pound and measuring about a foot long, the Richardson’s ground squirrel is native to the northern Plains—and it’s becoming a major nuisance in Minot, North Dakota.
The small rodent, known for its aggressive tunneling habits, has burrowed its way across the city, from vacant lots to the downtown core. Its population has surged dramatically in the past two decades, and now Minot is fighting back. But even the man leading the effort admits it’s a steep uphill battle.
“Like one guy standing against a massive storm”
Joshua Herman, a local pest control specialist, said trying to manage the squirrel problem feels like a losing fight without community-wide cooperation.
“If I’m trapping but my neighbor isn’t, well then, we’re really not going to get anywhere with it, long-term,” he said.
According to Kevin Braaten, Minot’s Street Department Superintendent, the city—home to nearly 50,000 people—has struggled with ground squirrels for at least 20 years, but the issue has worsened significantly in recent years.
The exact number of squirrels is unknown, but Herman estimates tens of thousands, possibly even exceeding the human population.
“Gosh, there’s got to be tens of thousands of them in the area,” Herman said.
Urban refuge for rural pests
Minot sits along the Souris River, surrounded by farmland and prairie. In rural areas, predators like coyotes, badgers, owls, and snakes help control squirrel populations. But in town, the lack of natural predators allows the rodents to thrive.
Greg Gullickson, an outreach biologist with the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, says the squirrels are drawn to the mowed lawns and open spaces in urban areas, especially as grasslands shrink.
With females birthing about six pups each year, their numbers multiply fast.
Herman removes between 3,500 and 5,000 ground squirrels annually, using snares, carbon monoxide, and occasionally an air rifle.
“I’ve had calls downtown, in the mall, along highways, at the airport—really every part of the city,” he said, checking traps near an apartment complex and filling in holes with dirt.
The squirrels damage sidewalks, driveways, and lawns, create tripping hazards, and may carry diseases through fleas.
One resident, Pashone Grandson, lives in a ground-level apartment plagued by the rodents.
“It was a little scary. You don’t know what disease they carry. They’re dirty. I have a young daughter… I didn’t know if it was going to bite her,” she said, after one squirrel got past a baby gate and into her daughter’s clothes.
Trouble on the base
Just north of town, Minot Air Force Base, home to bombers and intercontinental ballistic missiles, has long fought the rodent problem.
Earlier this month, the base reported trapping more than 800 “dak-rats”, its nickname for the animals. Base officials declined to comment further.
Jared Edwards, facilities director for Minot Public Schools, said the base—and its schools—have battled the squirrels for decades.
“I’m not going to exaggerate: They’re by the millions out there,” he said.
Within the city, three school campuses also have large squirrel populations. The district has used snares and poisons over the years in an effort to control them.
“It’s something you have to keep up with. It is Mother Nature,” Edwards said, noting the squirrels have likely been in the region since the days of early homesteaders.
Cute—but costly
Not everyone agrees that the squirrels are a problem. Some residents see them as cute and harmless.
That sentiment has caused Herman problems—people have stolen or destroyed his traps, and some have even confronted him while he was using his air rifle, accusing him of harming wildlife.
“They get that cute association, and they are, you know, adorable,” Herman said. “But they’re a vermin and a pest—and dangerous when they’re allowed to proliferate.”