Thousands of saboteurs have reached Minot Air Force Base. They are known for their ability to tunnel underground, their stealthy nature and small size and the risk they pose to base infrastructure. They are squirrels and the personnel at Minot can’t stand them.
Last week base command sent out a notice to residents acknowledging the growing number of Richardson Ground Squirrels at the installation.
“Base leadership is aware of the noticeably increased presence of Richardson Ground Squirrels, commonly called ‘Dak-Rats,’ in base housing and the nuisance they present to residents,” the base posted in a statement on its Facebook page. “The health, safety and welfare of base residents is paramount.”
People stationed at Minot Air Force Base have had to deal with a number of issues. Located in North Dakota not far from the Canadian border, the base is isolated, hit by cold weather and the risk of toxic chemicals from its nuclear facilities. Large numbers of Richardson Ground Squirrels are another one. These aren’t up to any Secret Squirrel shenanigans, as far as the Air Force is aware, but they are a reoccurring and persistent pest for base personnel and their families. Minot leadership described them as a “nuisance.” In 2009, the Air Force noted that the dakrats can spread disease and also, in their large numbers, damage infrastructure ranging from base housing to the runways the Air Force uses with their tunneling.
These squirrels have been a reoccurring and persistent problem on the base, which plays a major role in the U.S. military’s nuclear capabilities. Minot is home to the 5th Bomb Wing and 91st Missile Wing. In 2019, Minot Air Force Base explained that they proliferated in part because of the lack of predators in the developed installation area. In a statement then, a pest management supervisor said that the squirrels had gone from numbering between 3,000 to 5,000 per year to more than double. In the past, the base has tried several tools to fight back, ranging from trapping and removing the squirrels, flooding tunnels and using certain poisons.
In its announcement on social media, base leadership said that it was bringing in a team of “subject matter experts” to help address the situation. Those experts will work with on-base housing officials to plan how to prevent home damage and trap the dakrats.
This time around, Minot is carrying out a three-phase effort to deal with the infestation. The first phase involved families on base housing setting out traps to try and deal with the immediate issue. The command is now initiating phase two, a two-week rollout of a “comprehensive” plan for setting up traps and trying to capture the invasive critters. The third phase, long-term in nature, involves setting aside resources in the spring and fall to mitigate the number of dakrats on the base in greater numbers.
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