"43 Years Ago, Scientists Dropped Gophers Onto a Volcano. Today, They’re Tiny Heroes."

https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/environment/a70780384/gophers-mount-st-helens-eruption/

"After the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens devastated the local environment, scientists set a few gophers loose on some patches of ground, hoping they would kick up bacteria and fungi.

That uncovered fungi … created a microbial community that allowed plant life to better obtain and retain nutrients."

#Washington #PNW #Wildlife #Gophers #Environment #MountSaintHelens