North Dakotans anxiously await signs of spring after a long winter. The snow melts. Days grow longer. But one sign of spring that is not appreciated is the emergence of pests that have been dormant under the snow. One of the more common of these pests is the pocket gopher. The Grand Forks Herald noted that “battling pocket gophers is a rite of spring.” The Yankton Press and Dakotan says that “Pocket gophers send shivers up and down the spines of landowners.”