Since the massive conversion of land in the Columbia Basin to agriculture, the Washington Ground Squirrel has been in decline. During the 1980s, the number of localities where they were known to occur dropped from 179 to 35, all small in size. Learn more about the Spermophilus washingtoni, more commonly known as a Washington Ground Squirrel, in this easy-to-read species overview by the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.