1. Define the following as used in the article:
infestation (para. 1)
devastate (para. 1)
ecosystem (para. 8)
cyclical (para. 17)
entomologists (para. 17)

2. a) What damage might a grasshopper infestation do across the Western U.S. this year?
b) Describe the damage grasshoppers caused during the last infestation in 1985.

3. List the states that reported critically high numbers of adult grasshoppers last fall.

4. How is the state of Wyoming attempting to prevent grasshopper devastation this summer?

5. a) What is the USDA?
b) How is the USDA responding to Wyoming's requests for help with the grasshoppers?

6. What hope do farmers and ranchers have in states that face grasshopper infestations this year?

7. Farmers and ranchers know that grasshopper infestations are possible in some years. The federal government also owns land in the affected states. If the infestation reaches the level of the 1985 outbreak, federal suppression efforts could cost $40 million. If the grasshoppers are not successfully suppressed, millions of acres of crops and land used for grazing could be destroyed.
a) The USDA claims they don't have the money to pay for aerial spraying even over the government owned lands. What responsibility does the federal government have to try to suppress grasshoppers on government land? Explain your answer.
b) How much assistance do you think the state government, federal government, both or neither should give to assist farmers and ranchers in these states? Explain your answer.
c) Do you think your answer would be different if you did/didn't live in one of the affected states? Explain your answer.