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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 03/10/1998 - RESOLUTION 98-37 ADOPTING THE PRAIRIE DOG POLICY F AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY ITEM NUMBER: 4 DATE: March 10, 1998 FORT COLLINS CITY COUNCIL STAFF: Darin Atteberry/ Karen Manci SUBJECT: Resolution 98-37 Adopting the Prairie Dog Policy for City Natural Areas. RECOMMENDATION: Staff, the Natural Resources Advisory Board and the Parks and Recreation Board recommend adoption of the Resolution. FINANCIAL IMPACT: The Natural Resources Department will be responsible for implementing the proposed Prairie Dog Policy. Since 1993,Natural Resources has used portions of the City's 1992 Natural Areas 1/4-cent Sales Tax and other sources of funding to acquire lands containing prairie dogs,to educate the public on prairie dog ecology and management, and to manage prairie dogs on City-owned natural areas. These efforts will continue, but are very difficult to quantify over the next 5 years, because of the uncertainty of such factors as the availability of land for public purchase and demand for construction of barriers. During 1998,Natural Resources has budgeted about$20,000 (not including staff time) for education and interpretive features related to prairie dogs and about $30,000 (not including staff and YouthCorps time) for management of existing and future (i.e., native grass restoration) prairie dog colonies. On-site prairie dog management (e.g., barrier construction and maintenance)is principally being performed by an hourly(non-permanent)Natural Areas Technician Aide (75% of her time), YouthCorps crews, and volunteers. Costs (including field staff and YouthCorps crews time) for adequate maintenance of the existing two miles of vinyl barriers, installation of all current requests for vinyl barriers, totaling 2.25 miles, complete shrub plantings and follow-up maintenance to replace vinyl barriers in the future, and full installation of predator enhancements at barrier sites are estimated at ranging from $148,754 (minimal size [seedling, bareroot] plantings) to $427,601 (moderate size [1-gallon container] plantings) for 1998 alone and would require an additional full-time Natural Areas Technician and additional YouthCorps crews. Estimates of the possible amount of barrier installation requested (10 miles)based on the current amount of City natural area property containing prairie dog colonies, would bring the total of installation costs alone to as high as $1.7 million for the moderate size plantings. To install 10 miles of barrier would also require an additional 5 full-time Natural Areas Technicians and a five-fold increase in the YouthCorps crew and volunteer numbers. Given these lip costs,vinyl barrier construction,plantings, and installation of predator enhancements on City natural areas will take place over the course of a number of years. DATE: March 10, 1998 2 ITEM NUMBER: 4 Implementation of the proposed Prairie Dog Policy will be funded primarily through portions of current sales tax revenues: the Fort Collins 1997 Building Community Choices tax and the City's share of the Larimer County's Parks, Open Space, and Trails tax. Great Outdoors Colorado Grants and partnering with Larimer County have also been sources of funding for the acquisition of natural areas containing prairie dog colonies (e.g., Cathy Fromme Prairie; Coyote Ridge). EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: In May 1997, the City planned to exterminate prairie dogs in narrow buffer areas on the edges of several natural areas where colonies were expanding into residential areas. Less than 1% of City- owned prairie dog colonies on natural areas were targeted for fumigation. A group of people opposed to the killing of prairie dogs requested that City Council cancel the fumigation. Fumigation was delayed until the group had relocated some of the prairie dogs. Due to this controversy, the Natural Resources Advisory Board forwarded a recommendation to City Council that the City examine its current prairie dog policies. A Prairie Dog Policy Review Committee made up of City staff and various members of the community was formed to accomplish this task. The Committee discussed the City's current prairie dog policies during four meetings from September through November 1997. In general, it was determined that the City's existing prairie dog policy was not clearly articulated and that the City's prairie dog policies needed to be better defined. The Committee developed its own philosophy statement regarding prairie dog management and formulated 33 policy statements to guide actions taken by the City of Fort Collins to maintain prairie dog colonies on City natural areas (see Exhibit"A"to the Resolution). The policy statements fall under the following categories: policy application, land protection, education, natural control, research and experimentation, barriers, relocation, disease control, and fumigation. The majority of the 33 items simply reflect the City's past and current prairie dog management practices and techniques, now formalized into policy statements. For example, the City has been actively targeting acquisition of natural areas containing larger prairie dog colonies since 1993. To date, the City owns and manages about 1,700 acres of prairie dog colonies in the natural areas system, shown on the attached map. This has resulted in an increase in public ownership from 13% to 82%of the colonies identified in winter 1991-92 to be of value for Fort Collins birds of prey(e.g., the bald eagle,a Federal Threatened Species; the ferruginous hawk, Colorado Species of Concern). Nine of the policy statements relate to relocation of prairie dogs, a management technique not actively pursued by the City in the past. The Open Lands/Natural Areas Management Team (interdepartmental team that developed management guidelines for City natural areas) and other. wildlife professionals have had major,concerns regarding prairie dog relocation. These include human health risks, stress/death to relocated animals, impacts to prairie dog populations at the relocation site (e.g., potential introduction of disease, parasites, etc.), and the lack of viable relocation sites. Lack of viable sites to receive relocated prairie dogs remains problematic. A chart outlining the availability of prairie dog relocation sites as of February, 1998, is attached. Nonetheless, the Prairie Dog Policy Committee developed nine policy statements regarding relocation to ensure that when this technique is able to be used(i.e., a relocation site is available), risks to human and wildlife health is minimized. One of the fumigation policy statements requires DATE: March 10, 1998 3 ITEM NUMBER: 4 that interested organizations be afforded at least six weeks to pursue possible relocation of prairie dogs prior to fumigation, unless emergency circumstances require immediate action. The proposed Prairie Dog Policy is consistent with the adopted Natural Areas Policy Plan and City Code, specifically, animal ordinances and City Plan's Land Use Code. Policy Review A public open house on the proposed Prairie Dog Policy was held on November 10, 1997. Although well-advertised, only thirty people attended the open house. Comments were received from 25 individuals during the comment period (November 10-17). Five individuals commented strongly that they could not support the killing of any prairie dogs by the City, while no one advocated that the City fumigate all prairie dogs on City-owned property. In addition, no one questioned the policy to pursue purchase of additional lands for prairie dogs. Methods to limit prairie dog movement through the use of barriers received mixed comments due to ineffectiveness. Requiring private landowners and/or developers to construct the barriers on private land (as opposed to the City constructing barriers on City land) was advocated by six individuals. Relocation received mixed comments. Some individuals felt that relocation was not humane and was too "stressful" to the animals or they had misgivings about the viability of relocation as a long-term management alternative. Comments regarding fumigation clearly indicated that most of the public felt that this technique should be very limited and the need for fumigation clearly demonstrated. The proposed Prairie Dog Policy was approved by two interdepartmental teams that guide management of natural areas: the Open Lands Guidance Team (Department Directors/Division Managers) and the Open Lands/Natural Areas Management Team (plans and implements site management plans for natural areas). Staff from the City Attorney and Risk Management offices also commented on the policy. The Natural Resources Advisory Board and the Parks and Recreation Board held several meetings from December 1997-early February 1998 to discuss the proposed Prairie Dog Policy. Both boards unanimously approved the proposed Prairie Dog Policy with minor editorial revisions. The minutes of those Board meetings are attached. • RESOLUTION 98-37 OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS ADOPTING A PRAIRIE DOG POLICY FOR CITY NATURAL AREAS WHEREAS,the Council previously established a Prairie Dog Policy Review Committee(the "Review Committee"),consisting of City staff and various members of the community, in order to examine and consider possible modification of the City's existing policies with regard to management of prairie dogs; and WHEREAS, the Review Committee reviewed a large volume of background information regarding prairie dogs and prairie dog management, and the City's policies in that regard, and met four times during the autumn of 1997,to discuss the City's current policies and related issues; and WHEREAS, based on that review and discussion, the Review Committee concluded that additional clarity and definition would improve the usefulness and effectiveness of the City's policies regarding management of prairie dogs in the City's natural areas; and WHEREAS, the Review Committee developed a number of policy statements in the form of the Proposed Prairie Dog Policy for City Natural Areas, attached hereto as Exhibit "A" (the "Prairie Dog Policy"); and • WHEREAS,the Prairie Dog Policy is consistent with the adopted Natural Areas Policy Plan; and WHEREAS,the Review Committee presented the Prairie Dog Policy to the public at an open house on November 10, 1997, and solicited public comment regarding the Prairie Dog Policy; and WHEREAS,the Prairie Dog Policy has been endorsed by the two interdepartmental teams of City staff that guide the management of the City's natural areas,the Open Lands Guidance Team and the Open Lands/Natural Areas Management Team; and WHEREAS,the Natural Resources Advisory Board and the Parks and Recreation Board each considered the Prairie Dog Policy and unanimously approved the Prairie Dog Policy, as revised to reflect their comments. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT COLLINS, that the Prairie Dog Policy for City natural areas, attached hereto as Exhibit "A" and incorporated herein by this reference, is hereby adopted, and the City Manager is hereby directed to manage all City natural areas in a manner consistent with said Policy. Passed and adopted at a regular meeting of the City Council held this 1 Oth day of March, A.D. 1998. Mayor ATTEST: City Clerk Exhibit A PROPOSED PRAIRIE DOG POLICY k . FOR CITY NATURAL AREAS Date: February 11, 1998 Prepared by Prairie Dog Policy Review Committee Phil Murphy, Committee Chair(Natural Resources Advisory Board Chair) Bill Bertschy (City Council) Darin Atteberry (Assistant City Manager) Virgil Taylor (Parks Division) • Karen Manci (Natural Resources Department) Phil Friedman (Natural Resources Advisory Board) Randy Fischer (Natural Resources Advisory Board) Bill Miller (Natural Resources Advisory Board) Lance Freeman (Parks & Recreation Board) Del Price (Parks & Recreation Board) Jerry Craig (Colorado Division of Wildlife) Gene Schoon4eld (Colorado Division of Wildlife) Ken Gage (U.S. Dep. Health & Human Serv.; Centers for Disease Control) Rich Grossman (Larimer County Environmental Health Dep.) Bill Andelt (Colorado State University Extension Wildlife Program) Ray Hogler(Pineridge neighbor) Linda Cain (Sierra Club) William Terry (interested citizen) The City of Fort Collins will make reasonable accommodations for access to City services, programs, and activities, and will make special communication arrangements for persons with disabilities. Please call 221-6310 for assistance. City of Fort Collins • Community Planning and Environmental Services Natural Resources Department 281 N.College Avenue,P.O. Box 580 City of fat Conine Fort Collins,CO 80522-0580 �'� Phone: (970)221-8800 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In May 1997, the City planned to exterminate prairie dogs in narrow buffer areas on the edges of several natural areas where colonies were expanding into residential areas. Less than 1% of City-owned prairie dog colonies on natural areas were targeted for fumigation. A group of people opposed to the killing of prairie dogs requested that City Council cancel the fumigation. Fumigation was delayed until the group had relocated some of the prairie dogs. Due to this controversy, the Natural Resources Advisory Board (NRAB) forwarded a recommendation to City Council that the City examine its current prairie dog policies. A Prairie Dog Policy Review Committee made up of City staff and various members of the community was formed to accomplish this task. Each Committee member was provided a 930-page notebook of prairie dog ecology and management material. The notebook included the results of a "Prairie Dog Management Questionnaire,' which Natural Resources staff sent to 50 agencies along the Front Range in July 1997 (see Appendix A) and a summary of"Current Policies and Guidelines' (see Section II), as well as"Current Practices and Techniques" (see Section III) used by the City to manage prairie dogs. The Committee discussed the City's current prairie dog policies during four evening meetings from September through November. In general, they felt that the City's prairie dog policy was not clearly articulated in current documents and that the policies related to prairie dogs needed to be better defined. • The Committee developed their own philosophy statement regarding prairie dog management (see Section IV) and formulated 32 policy statements to guide actions taken by the City of Fort Collins to maintain prairie dog colonies on City natural areas (Section V). The policy statements include the following topics: Policy Application, Land Protection, Education, Natural Control, Research and Experimentation, Barriers, Relocation, Disease Control, and Fumigation. Public comments were received on the proposed policies via an open house in mid- November followed by an additional comment period. Comments were received from 25 individuals (see Appendix B). City staff comments were requested through two interdepartmental teams that guide management of natural areas; both teams approved the proposed Prairie Dog Policy. The NRAB and Parks and Recreation Board held a joint meeting on December 3, 1997 to discuss the proposed Prairie Dog Policy. Both boards further discussed the policy at subsequent separate board meetings and unanimously approved the proposed Prairie Dog Policy with minor editorial revisions (Parks and Recreation Board: January 28, 1998; NRAB: February 4, 1998). Council will consider adoption of the proposed Prairie Dog Policy at their March 3, 1998, Council Session. • i-Proposed Policy CONTENTS I. BACKGROUND. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 II. CURRENT POLICIES AND GUIDELINES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Natural Areas Policy Plan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Natural Areas Management Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 City Animal Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 City Land Use Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 III. CURRENT PRACTICES AND TECHNIQUES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 LandAcquisition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Barrier and Predator Enhancement Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Relocation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fumigation . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Costs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Research Efforts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S IV. COMMITTEE POLICY REVIEW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Philosophy Statement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 V. PROPOSED PRAIRIE DOG POLICY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Policy Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Land Protection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Natural Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Research and Experimentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Barriers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Relocation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Disease Control. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 14 Fumigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 VI. IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 VII, REVIEW AND APPROVAL STEPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Public Input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Staff Input and Approval. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Next Steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Appendix A: PRAIRIE DOG QUESTIONNAIRE SUMMARY (3 pp.) Appendix B: SUMMARY OF PUBLIC COMMENTS (4 pp.) ii-Proposed Policy • LBACKGROUND Management of prairie dogs is a very controversial issue in Fort Collins and elsewhere along the Front Range and likely will remain so. Some people do not want to seethe City kill a single prairie dog, no matter what the reason, while others urge eradication of all prairie dogs within the City. In between are many residents who support conservation of prairie dogs and prairie ecosystems, but understand the need to do limited prairie dog population control—to minimize conflict with adjacent landowners, or to restore degraded habitat to native grassland so that the large prairie dog colonies remain intact and healthy. In late spring 1997, the City planned to exterminate (by the use of Fumitoxin) prairie dogs in narrow buffer areas on the edges of several natural areas where colonies were expanding into residential areas. Landowners had requested assistance from the City in controlling expansion of the colonies onto private land. Less than 1% of City-owned prairie dog colonies on natural areas were targeted for fumigation. In all cases this was to install or maintain prairie dog barriers on the urban fringe that serve to decrease movement of prairie dogs onto adjacent private property. A group of people opposed to the killing of prairie dogs made a request to City Council to cancel the fumigation. Fumigation was delayed until the Prairie Ecosystem • Conservation Alliance (PECA) could relocate some of the prairie dogs to the Rocky Mountain Arsenal. PECA was not able to relocate all prairie dogs; thus, the City fumigated remaining prairie dogs in the buffer areas. Due to the controversy created by the fumigation, the Natural Resources Advisory Board (NRAB) forwarded a recommendation to City Council that the City examine its current prairie dog policies. Several NRAB members met with representatives of City Council, City Manager's Office, Parks, and Natural Resources to establish a procedure to re-examine the City's prairie dog management policies. The group made a decision to establish a Prairie Dog Policy Review Committee made up of a City councilmember, City staff, other professionals in the community, representatives of the NRAB and Parks and Recreation Board, and other interested citizens. In preparation for the review by the Committee, the Natural Resources Department prepared a summary of current policies, guidelines, practices, and techniques used by the City of Fort Collins to manage prairie dog ecosystems. The Prairie Dog Policy Committee felt that this information was important to provide in this document prior to the presentation of their proposed Prairie Dog Policy. • 1-Proposed Policy II. CURRENT POLICIES AND GUIDELINES The City of Fort Collins currently has adopted a number of policies and guidelines that relate to prairie dog conservation and management. Natural Areas Policy Plan The City's policies and guidelines regarding prairie dog conservation and management stem from the 1992 Natural Areas Policy Plan (NAPP). That document established the following overall goal: Preserve and protect natural areas within Fort Collins and the Urban Growth Area to provide habitat essential to the conservation of plants, animals, and their associated ecosystems and to enrich the lives of citizens by providing opportunities for education, scientific research, nature interpretation, art, fishing, wildlife observation, hiking, and other activities. The NAPP established several objectives and a variety of policies that in essence form a "toolbox" for natural area conservation in Fort Collins. The various conservation tools include land acquisition, regulatory programs, habitat restoration, animal population control, minimizing conflict between people and wildlife, public education and information, research, and a variety of other action strategies that are needed to protect and provide long-term stewardship for key natural areas in the community. The NAPP identified the large remaining grassland sites and prairie dog colonies as critical conservation sites in the community. The City's goal for these sites is to protect and manage them so that they may support extensive prairie ecosystems with prairie dog colonies that benefit numerous other native wildlife species, to minimize wildlife conflicts with adjacent landowners, and to provide a high quality wildlife viewing experience for the citizens of Fort Collins. Natural Areas Management Guidelines The City's general policies regarding prairie dog management are contained within the "General Management Guidelines for City-owned Open Spaces and Natural Areas.' The plan was written by the Open Lands Natural Areas Management Team (OLNA), which consists of staff from Forestry, Natural Resources, Parks, Park Planning and Development, Recreation, and Stormwater. The guidelines received extensive public and citizen board review. The Parks and Recreation Board and Natural Resources Advisory Board both unanimously approved the guidelines in early summer 1994. City Council reviewed and commented on the guidelines at their July 26, 1994, Council Worksession. During the worksession, City Council members directed staff that there was no need for further formal adoption of the guidelines by Council nor a need for Council review or formal adoption of individual site management plans. The general guidelines were revised after the Council review and finalized in October 1994. An update of the guidelines occurred in September 1995; however, no request was made to change the prairie dog 2-Proposed Policy management policy item at that time. • The guidelines for prairie dogs on sites classified as Sensitive Natural Areas (these include all sites currently containing large prairie dog colonies) state: Maintain existing large colonies. Remove (1) within buffer areas along bordering property if City staff determines this is necessary to prevent damage to such property, (2) if necessary for grassland restoration, or(3) if mandated by Larimer County Environmental Health Department for plague outbreak in the colony on the site. On sites classified as Urban Natural Areas (sites not containing a particularly sensitive wildlife or plant species—none currently contain prairie dogs), the guidelines for prairie dogs state: Remove unless a small, controlled colony is designated to provide educational and research values. On sites classified as Restorative Natural Areas, the guidelines for prairie dogs state: Remove unless goal of restoration includes creating or maintaining a large colony. On sites classified as Greenways (small stormwater detention areas, mowed 3-4 times a year) and Parks (developed and undeveloped), the guidelines for prairie dogs state: • Remove to protect on-site vegetation. More detailed, site specific management strategies for prairie dog control are (and will be) contained in management plans for sites containing prairie dogs (e.g., Cathy Fromme Prairie Management Plan, June 1995; Foothills Natural Areas Management Plan, January 1997). Site plans also receive extensive public review and approval by Parks and Recreation Board and Natural Resources Advisory Board. City Animal Code In 1995, the City reviewed and revised their Animal Ordinance. To comply with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requirements and to clarify the City Code, the code regarding use of poisons was revised to read: No person shall poison any animal or distribute poison in any manner with the intent to poison any animal, except that mice, rats, or any rodents other than hamsters, guinea pigs and squirrels may be poisoned by the use of poisonous substance approved for such use by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. This prohibition shall not apply to persons regularly engaged in the business of fumigation or pest extermination and licensed by the state of Colorado,provided, however, that such • persons may use only fumigants to destroy prairie dogs or other burrowing rodents. Two other commonly used extermination methods are not allowed in the Fort Collins urban 3-Proposed Policy area: (1) use of poison grain and (2) shooting prairie dogs. Poison grain (zinc phosphide) is placed above ground at burrow entrances. Other non-target animals (e.g., birds, other rodents) will die if they eat the poison grain. The EPA prohibits the use of poison grain in urban areas due to the chance of small children picking up the poison grain and eating it, as well as pets eating the grain or birds/rodents above ground that have died from eating the poison grain. The poison could remain viable in the grain some time after application above ground. Animals die more slowly by ingesting poison grain than by the fumigation method. Death by ingesting poison grain can take up to 30 hours. The City does not allow the use of firearms for killing prairie dogs or any other wildlife species unless under very controlled conditions and conducted by Colorado Division of Wildlife (CDOW) officers (e.g., in the case of a mountain lion or bear immediately threatening human life where the animal cannot be tranquilized and moved to another area). While many believe shooting the animals is the most humane way to kill prairie dogs, the City does not feel that this is appropriate within Fort Collins. City Land Use Code In March of 1997, the City adopted City Plan and the associated Land Use Code to guide and regulate new developments. Prairie dogs were specifically addressed in Article 3, General Development Standards, under"Protection of Wildlife Habitat and Ecological Character" with regard to prairie dog removal from sites to be developed: Prairie dog removal. Before the commencement of construction on the development site, any prairie dogs inhabiting portions of the site within the limits of development shall be relocated or humanely eradicated by the developer by city approved methods as set forth in Chapter 4 of the Code, and when applicable, as reviewed and approved by the Colorado Division of Wildlife. In addition, the issue of wildlife conflict was also addressed in Article 3, making the developer responsible for providing mechanisms to minimize the conflicts: Wildlife conflicts. If wildlife that may create conflicts for the future occupants of the development(including, but not limited to, prairie dogs, beaver, deer and rattlesnakes) are known to exist in areas adjacent to or on the development site, then the development plan must, to the extent reasonably feasible, include provisions such as barriers, protection mechanisms for landscaping and other site features to minimize conflicts that might otherwise exist between such wildlife and the developed portion of the site. However, this revision does not include developments approved prior to City Plan (prior to March 28, 1997). 4-Proposed Policy III. CURRENT PRACTICES AND TECHNIQUES • Land Acquisition Although the City once kept prairie dogs out of their open spaces entirely, in the late 1980's, the policy was changed to allow prairie dogs to expand on City lands if sites were suitable in size and habitat components to eventually support a large prairie dog colony. By winter 1991-92, prairie dogs occupied about 2,065 acres within and adjacent to the Fort Collins Urban Growth Area; only about 13% of this land was protected as City natural area, the rest of the acreage was primarily privately-owned land awaiting development. With the adoption of the NAPP in 1992 and subsequent voter-approved sales tax for natural areas, the City began to actively pursue acquisition of additional suitable lands to preserve large prairie dog colonies on property that would be eventually developed. To date, the City owns about 1,700 acres of prairie dog colonies in the natural areas system. The City has not been able to acquire all the 2,065 acres of prairie dog colonies determined in 1991-92 to be of value for winter raptors due to City policy that land is only acquired from willing sellers. In all cases, the City attempted to purchase these lands; however, some landowners preferred to develop the land instead of to sell to the City for ultimate preservation as a natural area. The City's goal is to make up for the loss of these lands by purchasing land within the Fort Collins-Loveland corridor that currently does not contain prairie dogs, restoring land to native prairie, and allowing prairie dogs to expand into suitable areas to make up for prairie dog • habitat that has been lost to development. Currently, the City owns such a suitable site, Coyote Ridge Natural Area, at the base of the foothills and south of the Landfill. Prairie dogs are already starting to colonize the site since City purchase; a 315-acre old wheat field could be reseeded with native grasses and wildflowers before the colony expands much further to make up for the acreage lost to development. Barrier and Predator Enhancement Methods At the request of adjacent landowners, the City has used a number of techniques to try to reduce the amount of prairie dog movement to adjacent private property. These include the installation of solid vinyl barrier fence (prairie dogs prefer to see their surroundings to be on the look-out for predators, so tend to not burrow near barriers), berming (earthen barriers), shrub plantings (to eventually serve as a more aesthetically pleasing barrier fence, hiding sites/cover for prairie dog predators, and additional wildlife habitat for songbirds, etc.), straw bales (hiding sites/cover for coyotes and fox that prey on prairie dogs), and raptor perches (for avian predators). These methods, while serving successfully to reduce the need for eradication, cannot always prevent prairie dogs from moving into unsuitable areas. Barriers may never provide a complete deterrent (obstruction) to prairie dog movement into adjacent areas. Vegetative barriers and berming are long-term methods to limit prairie dog expansion; vinyl • barriers are short-term methods (5-year life of material). However, none of these methods can ever be considered to be a complete barrier to prairie dog movement. The intended use of barriers and predator enhancements is to reduce the amount of eradication. Prairie dogs 5-Proposed Policy can get around anything unless a site is totally enclosed with a 3-foot tall, solid barrier buried up to 14 feet underground and made of concrete or other material that they could not penetrate. This would be impossible to build except at a small colony not intersected by any drainages (water must be able to leave a site), roads, or trails. Young-of-the-year prairie dogs will move up to 5 miles to colonize a new site once they are "kicked" out of their birth colony by dominant adults; they will use roadways, trails, and drainages to access new sites. Relocation Many people, concerned about each individual prairie dog, have made requests to the City that no prairie dog ever be eradicated or, at the very least, to only relocate prairie dogs. The City has worked with the Prairie Ecosystem Conservation Alliance (PECA)from Aurora, Colorado, to relocate prairie dogs on a proposed parking tot site. (Note: Relocation did not take place at that time because the City decided to move the parking lot to a different location where prairie dogs would not be impacted by the construction.) Unfortunately, relocation sites are difficult to find. Few agencies and private landowners are willing to accept prairie dogs from another location along the Front Range. If prairie dogs are needed to recolonize their sites (usually because plague has eradicated on-site colonies), agencies prefer to bring in prairie dogs from the immediate area—their experiences indicate that this is more successful and less likely to result in a plague outbreak at the colony. The OLNA Management Team and other professionals have some major concerns regarding prairie dog relocation. These include: (1) human health risks (potentially exposing volunteers to plague and other diseases carried by prairie dogs because animals are handled by volunteers); (2) stress/death to relocated animals (animals killed during capture, which involves flooding burrows with water, and resulting deaths during movement to new colony and after being released on new site); (3) impacts to prairie dog populations by moving Fort Collins' animals to Boulder or Denver area (e.g., introduction of potentially new diseases and species of fleas to colonies not adapted as the Fort Collins populations are); (4) disruption of social structures of tightly knit prairie dog family groups (i.e., coteries) that may increase mortality; (5) absence of viable relocation sites; and (6) public perception that if the City uses relocation, then only relocation will be used (i.e., if sites are no longer available for relocation, or not enough animals can be removed by volunteers, then the City will not be able to use fumigation to reduce the conflicts with adjacent neighbors). Relocation of prairie dogs includes capturing the animals by hand as they are flushed out of their burrows with water mixed with detergent. It is possible that the timing could be such that the animals/fleas are carrying plague, but that the prairie dogs have not succumbed to the disease yet. Thus, volunteers or staff could contract plague. Although not probable, this is a possibility. Prairie dogs, as well as other rodents, can carry plague—a disease transmitted by fleas. The disease, caused by a bacterium, can be fatal to humans if not treated; treatment with antibiotics is effective during the early stages of the disease. The disease is transmitted to people through flea (possibly introduced by domestic dogs and other pets) bites or direct contact with infected animals (e.g., prairie dogs, ground squirrels, domestic cats). Normally, people do not come into direct contact with prairie dogs or their fleas. In the past 5 years, 6-Proposed Policy plague associated with prairie dogs has been found at several colonies within Fort Collins. • So far in 1997, plague has been detected at six sites in Larimer County; two sites were City- owned natural areas. Larimer County Environmental Health Department reported three cases of plague in humans over the past 4 years (one case was attributed to prairie dogs), There have been human deaths in Colorado from plague carried by prairie dogs. Fumigation To comply with EPA requirements and City Code, the only method of extermination available to the City is fumigation. Aluminum phosphide tablets (Fumitoxin and other brands) are dropped down the holes, holes are plugged with newspaper, and all animals in the burrows die. Pest exterminators do not place the tablets down holes occupied by non-target animals (e.g., burrowing owls, badgers, foxes). Exterminators are trained in identifying burrows used by these animals by the type of excrement around the burrow and burrow size, type of opening, etc. A poison gas is soon released by the tablet and the poison dissipates very quickly and is not released to the atmosphere. To be effective, the tablets can only be used when soil temperature and soil moisture are adequate for quick release of the poison. Most prairie dogs are killed within the burrow. However, if individual burrows are not moist or warm enough, an animal may come to the surface before dying. Exterminators remain on site to be sure if this happens that these animals are killed as quickly as possible and that their bodies are not left above ground. The City's experience has been this is a very rare occurrence. • Costs Land acquisition of sites containing prairie dogs has been the largest expense of the City's efforts to protect this ecosystem, but an important tool to ensure continued existence of the colonies. Recent land prices in this category have ranged from $2,100-$10,000/acre. To date, the City has spent over 6 million dollars acquiring sites that contain prairie dog colonies. The NAPP also directs the City to focus on acquisition of many other types of habitats in need of protection, including riparian sites along the Poudre River and other stream corridors, wetlands, and foothills forest habitat. Although the City currently has several sources of funds to purchase natural areas, funds are limited and careful evaluation of site priorities will continue to balance the need to acquire lands to protect the diversity of wildlife and native plant communities now present in the Fort Collins area. Site management costs for prairie dogs has also been expensive for the City to undertake. Costs for vinyl and minimal vegetative barriers approach $20,000/mile; installation has been done by Youth Corp and volunteers with City staff supervision. Costs for fumigation last year was around $4,000 ($4/burrow opening). Relocation costs (City and PECA) were around $15/animal. The number of animalsiburrow opening varies highly; data obtained from mapping at the Cathy Fromme Prairie in 1995 averaged 1 animal/3 burrows in spring. Burrows flushed for relocation also need to be fumigated if the relocation is done when young prairie dogs are still below ground. Costs for restoring native shortgrass prairie vary • depending on size of site (higher for smaller acreages), soil additives, reseeding needed, and if the site is hydroseeded. Recent City projects have varied from about $300 to $1,000/acre (does not include staff time or watering). 7-Proposed Policy Again, funds are limited and with all the needs for our natural areas, the City must balance these management costs against other priorities. Research Efforts Since the early 1990's the City has been actively working with other agencies to determine the best ways to manage prairie dogs and to protect the larger prairie dog colonies. Staff from federal and state agencies, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Centers for Disease Control, Midcontinent Ecological Research Center, CDOW, and CSU, have helped us to identify key areas in need of protection, buffer areas needed to provide continued high wildlife use (particularly birds of prey), and methods to manage colonies to enhance wildlife values, decrease impact and conflicts with human use, and minimize need for lethal control. These agencies, as well as other county and municipal governments (e.g., Larimer County, Boulder County, Jefferson County, City of Boulder, City of Westminster) meet periodically to discuss the latest research efforts regarding prairie dog management. The City is also in frequent contact with these agencies on an individual basis regarding prairie dog issues. All participating agencies recognize the need to protect urban prairie dog colonies along the Front Range. Agencies understand that this is critical particularly because most large prairie dog colonies in rural, agriculture-dominated eastern Colorado have been eradicated in favor of crop and grazing interests. The City has also been involved in several local research efforts to help the Fort Collins community, as well as others, manage prairie dog colonies. For the past 3 years, the City has been working with Remote Sensing Research, Inc. to map density and aerial extent of colonies on several key sites. The City has also worked with Colorado State University's Cooperative Extension Wildlife Program on a project that determined attitudes of Fort Collins residents toward prairie dogs and several projects to research non-lethal alternatives to controlling prairie dogs at the urban fringe. The longest local research project has been the annual Winter Raptor Survey, conceived and implemented by City Natural Resources staff, with input from raptor experts from CSU, CDOW, and FWS staff. Over the past 6 years, the City has annually compiled data collected by hundreds of trained volunteers to determine which prairie dog sites in Fort Collins are the most beneficial to wintering birds of prey. In addition, the City has employed raptor biologists to study night roosts of wintering bald eagles and ferruginous hawks. 8-Proposed Policy • IV. COMMITTEE POLICY REVIEW The Prairie Dog Policy Review Committee, in preparation for reviewing the City's current prairie dog policies, was given a 930-page notebook of prairie dog ecology and management material prepared by staff with materials provided by the NRAB, City Council, concerned citizens, and Natural Resources. The notebook contained the results of a recent questionnaire that Natural Resources sent to 50 agencies along the Front Range (Appendix A). The review of other agencies indicated that they are also struggling to devise the best methods to reduce the conflicts of prairie dogs with adjacent landowners. Nearly all the agencies use fumigation to some-degree; quite a few agencies have tried various barrier methods with some long-term success at reducing prairie dog movement to adjacent properties. The Prairie Dog Policy Review Committee met four times during September through November. Each meeting lasted from 3-4 hours. In general, the Committee felt that City's policy was not clearly articulated in current documents and that the policies related to prairie dogs needed to be better defined, particularly relating to when and how to control prairie dogs. Some members of the committee also expressed a need for a stronger public education component to the policy. They recognized the responsibility that the City has to deal with wildlife conflict issues, but at the same time, they felt the community and adjacent neighbors needed to partake in the responsibility • of controlling the conflicts and in the financial aspects of funding barriers and control. Understanding the need to find methods to alleviate conflicts of prairie dogs invading adjacent lands, some members of the Committee were opposed to fumigation while others had some major reservations regarding the relocation option. Chief among those were the potential to move plague-infected animals and the fact that in attempting to save prairie dogs in the Fort Collins community, prairie dogs at the relocation site may be adversely affected. The Committee developed the following philosophy statement regarding prairie dog management. Committee Philosophy Statement The natural areas program within the City of Fort Collins was established to protect and preserve open land and wildlife. Prairie ecosystems have been a significant part of the acquisitions made over the last several years. As part of a prairie ecosystem, the prairie dog has been recognized as an important wildlife species having critical interrelationship with other plants and animals. In establishing this prairie dog management policy, the City of Fort Collins is committed to acquiring, maintaining, and enhancing vital prairie dog habitat along with providing for the general welfare and conservation of the prairie dogs themselves. • 9-Proposed Policy Maintaining prairie dogs within an urban setting results in many wildlife-human conflicts. The result of these conflicts is that some form of management must occur for both prairie dogs and people. The emphasis of this policy is to allow prairie dogs to exist naturally with minimum levels of human caused management. In implementing management of prairie dogs on City-owned natural areas, this policy outlines the following processes for control in order of priority: (1) Natural control - enhance natural predation. (2) Barriers -use human created and managed barriers (e.g., artificial or vegetative) to restrict prairie dog movement. (3) Relocation - moving prairie dogs from one site to available receiving areas. (4) Fumigation -this lethal method is the last resort for management. The City of Fort Collins will continue to partner with other public and private organizations in prairie dog management and research. This policy recognizes that plague is an important factor for both the health of people and prairie dogs. The preferred mechanism for dealing with plague outbreaks is to dust the prairie dogs with a flea insecticide. The flea is the carrier of the plague bacterium. The City will continue to coordinate closely with the Larimer County Health Department to reduce potential outbreaks. 70-Proposed Policy V. PROPOSED PRAIRIE DOG POLICY • The Prairie Dog Policy Committee formulated the following 33 policy statements to guide actions taken by the City of Fort Collins to achieve the recommended goals and objectives for maintenance of City-owned prairie dog colonies. The Committee's objective was to develop policies that apply only to designated natural areas managed by the Natural Resources Department. They do not apply to sites managed by other City departments. Prairie dog control on these sites will be determined by the managing department and will be conducted in accordance with the City Code. Policy Application PA-1 The Prairie Dog Policy applies only to designated natural areas managed by the Natural Resources Department. They do not apply to sites managed by other City departments. Prairie dog control on these sites will be determined by the managing department and will be conducted in accordance with the City Code. PA-2 To improve communication, one department, Natural Resources, will be responsible for implementing the Prairie Dog Policy with one staff member appointed by the Natural Resources Director as the point of contact regarding prairie dog issues on City-owned natural areas. PA-3 The Natural Resources Advisory Board will be responsible for reviewing the Prairie Dog Policy on a periodic basis (not to exceed 5 years) and will advise the City Manager's Office • and the Natural Resources Department if a more extensive review or change in policy is warranted. Land Protection LP-1 Continue to acquire, maintain, and manage land that contains existing large (>50 acres) prairie dog colonies in the Fort Collins area. LP-2 Continue to seek the cooperation of other agencies (e.g., Larimer County, City of Loveland, Colorado Division of Wildlife) to acquire, maintain, and manage land that contains existing large (>50 acres) prairie dog colonies within the open land corridor between Loveland and Fort Collins. LP-3 Continue to acquire and manage large grassland or cropland parcels in the Fort Collins area that can be restored to native shortgrass prairie and eventually support large (>50 acres) prairie dog colonies. LP-4 Continue to seek the cooperation of other agencies (e.g., Larimer County, City of Loveland, Colorado Division of Wildlife) to acquire and manage large (>50 acres) grassland or cropland parcels within the open land corridor between Loveland and Fort Collins that can be restored to native shortgrass prairie and eventually support large prairie dog colonies. LP-5 Continue to acquire or otherwise protect through regulation natural area corridors between • prairie dog colonies to maintain a movement corridor for mammalian predators. 11-Proposed Policy Education ED-1 Through a variety of educational and interpretive strategies, disseminate information, including but not limited to, the following subjects: o The City's Prairie Dog Policy. o Natural history and value of prairie dog colonies locally and regionally. o Visitor use of sites containing prairie dogs. o Pets and prairie dogs. o Rights and responsibilities of living next to natural areas. o Plague. o Control methods (barriers, etc.). o Relocation information and restrictions (including CDOW and CDC). o Research(e.g., experimental sterilization,winter raptor survey, etc.). Research and Experimentation RS-1 The City of Fort Collins will continue to partner with other public and private organizations in prairie dog management, research, and experimentation. Natural Control NC-1 Continue to enhance natural predation of prairie dogs on City-owned sites by installing predator enhancement features (e.g., low and high artificial raptor perches, tree plantings for future raptor perches, straw bale placement and shrub plantings for coyote and fox cover). NC-2 Encourage and assist landowners to enhance natural predation of prairie dogs by installing predator enhancement features (e.g., low and high artificial raptor perches, tree plantings for future raptor perches, straw bale placement and shrub plantings for coyote and fox cover) on private land next to City-owned sites. Barriers BA-1 Continue to maintain, build, and improve existing prairie dog barriers on City sites and continue to use local volunteer groups to assist in these endeavors. BA-2 Continue to investigate new artificial and vegetative barrier designs and experiment with new designs on limited study sites. BA-3 In choosing new barrier designs, maintain sensitivity to human visual aesthetics and natural functions of site (e.g., drainage). BA4 Require new developments next to existing City-owned prairie dog colonies to construct and maintain prairie dog barriers on private land, as per City Plan Land Use regulations for development plans submitted after March 28, 1997. BA-5 Encourage existing developments (development plans submitted prior to March 28, 1997) next to existing City-owned prairie dog colonies to construct and maintain prairie dog barriers on private land as opposed to on City-owned land. 12-Proposed Policy BA-6 Require requests from private landowners for installation by the City on City property of new • prairie dog barriers be made in writing to the Natural Resources Department with signatures of approval by the majority of landowners immediately adjacent to the proposed barrier. BA-7 Preferred prairie dog removal method for barrier establishment and protection will be by relocation, but fumigation will be used if relocation option is not feasible. Relocation RE-1 Prairie dogs may be relocated only if(a) suitable recipient sites are available; (b) plague is not known to be present in the donor and recipient sites; (c) expertise is available to relocate the animals; (d) the appropriate CDOW permits are issued; and (e) donor and recipient sites have been dusted with an insecticide by a licensed applicator. RE-2 Relocation may be used to remove prairie dogs at a problem area or to reintroduce them to a suitable City-owned natural area. RE-3 The City will continue to maintain a list of potential recipient locations for relocated prairie dogs. Non-governmental conservation groups will be encouraged to identify and develop additional sites that meet CDOW approval. RE-4 The Natural Resources Director will designate and contact a local organization in writing to provide the organization an opportunity to coordinate and disseminate information about relocation needs as the need arises. • RE-5 Organizations that relocate prairie dogs shall use only trained relocators that have signed a City of Fort Collins release of liability form before participating in the relocation. The relocation organization must obtain all appropriate permits including the CDOW permit and written notification to Larimer County Environmental Health Department. RE-6 To ensure that dependent young prairie dogs are not left in burrows, relocation should be avoided from March 1-May 31st. The Colorado Division of Wildlife does allow prairie dog relocation during these months but only if the burrows are fumigated immediately after relocation activities cease. Thus, to minimize the need for lethal control measures, relocation activities should not occur during March, April, and May. Preferred months for relocation are June through September. Flushing burrows with water during colder months increase the stress on the animals, which could result in pneumonia. RE-7 Relocated prairie dogs may not be moved to locations within 1/4-mile of a residential development. RE-8 Prairie dogs relocated to sites that do not contain recently (within 1 year) active prairie dog burrows must be prepared by the relocation organization prior to relocation by production of artificial burrows through augering or some other method acceptable to the CDOW. RE-9 City of Fort Collins natural areas will only be used as relocation sites if they have suitable habitat(i.e., established native shortgrass prairie) to support a potential of at least 50 acres of prairie dogs and do not currently contain prairie dogs within 1/4 mile of the relocation site. • A CDOW permit is required. Sites where plague has wiped out an existing colony will be given highest priority. 13-Proposed Policy Disease Control DC-1 Fumigation will not be used as the primary method for preventing the spread of plague. However, burrows known or suspected to be plague-positive, and burrows in the immediate vicinity adjacent to residential areas, will be dusted with an insecticide to kill the fleas. DC-2 Neighbors in the vicinity of plague-positive prairie dogs will be notified by the distribution of information packets and/or through the news media. DC-3 Natural areas known to contain prairie dogs that have died from, or are known to be infected with, plague may be closed to recreational use. The use of paved trails in those areas will depend on the extent of the plague. If the trails are permitted to remain open, specific restrictions may be implemented. Fumigation FU-1 The City may use fumigation to remove prairie dogs from City-owned natural area sites only under the following conditions: o The Natural Resources Director has designated and contacted a local conservation group at least 6-weeks prior to fumigation to provide the organization an opportunity to coordinate and disseminate information about the need to relocate prairie dogs and: a. Removal of prairie dogs is needed to maintain the integrity of the prairie dog barrier, or b. Removal of prairie dogs is needed to restore degraded grassland dominated by non-native grasses to native shortgrass prairie; native seed needs a period of time to establish roots before grazing by prairie dogs is allowed. (Newly established native grasses have shallow roots and are uprooted by prairie dogs in areas where these plants are the only food source.) No more than 50 acres of prairie dogs will be removed for this reason in any one year, or c. Prairie dogs have begun invading a natural area site that is unsuitable to support a large prairie dog colony (e.g., a site dominated by non-native grasses; a site where presence of prairie dogs would impact other animals or plants in need of protection; a site too small and surrounded by private lands where establishment of a colony could pose serious human health or wildlife conflict concerns. The extermination can proceed prior to the expiration of the 6-week period if the local conservation group notified about the proposed fumigation provides a written waiver of the relocation option. o At the discretion of the City Manager to prevent imminent threat to human health or the environment, or upon the request of t-arimer County Environmental Health Department, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Centers for Disease Control, or the Colorado Division of Wildlife, or other agency with jurisdiction to make such a request, emergency fumigation may proceed. In such event, the City Manager will report the emergency fumigation event to the City Council at the next regularly scheduled meeting of the Council. FU-2 Fumigation will only be conducted by a certified applicator and in a manner consistent with labeling requirements. Fumigation is most effective when soil moisture levels are high and soil temperature is above 40°F—usually late April to early June in Fort Collins. 14-Proposed Policy VI. IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE • Many of the 33 policy statements formulated by the Prairie Dog Policy Committee have been a part of the practices and techniques used by the City since 1992 as part of implementing the Natural Areas Policy Plan (Table 1). The Natural Resources Department will be responsible for implementing the proposed Prairie Dog Policy. Once City Council adopts the Prairie Dog Policy, the policy will replace prairie dog management guidelines for sites managed as natural areas by the Natural Resources Department as presented in the "General Management Guidelines for City-owned Open Spaces and Natural Areas.' Implementation will be funded through the City's Natural Areas Program (primarily funded through portions of current sales tax revenues: the Fort Collins 1997 Building Community Choices Tax and Larimer County's Parks, Open Space, and Trails Tax). - Table 1. Implementation Schedule for the Prairie Dog Policy Items Category 1992-97 1998 1999+ Notes Policy Application: PA-1 Implementation begins immediately after Council through PA-3) X X Adoption. Land Protection (LP-1 through LP-5) X X X Continuation of past efforts. Education (ED-1) X X X Outreach (staff and Master Naturalists),displays, • and distribution of educational material ongoing since 1992;interpretive exhibit and signs at Cathy Fromme Prairie,Public Education Plan,new brochures and information sheets in 1998; additional brochures and interpretive signs completed by 2001. Research and Experimentation(RS-1) X X X Continuation of past efforts. Natural Control (NC-1 and NC-2) X X X Continuation of past efforts. Barriers(BA-1 through Continuation of past efforts,with more emphasis BA-7) X X X on encouraging existing developments to construct barriers on private land as opposed to City land; require barrier requests to be In writing. Relocation Implementation begins Immediately after Council (RE-1 through RE-9) X X Adoption. Disease Control Continuation of past notification and dusting (DC-1 through DC-3) X X X practices when necessary. Fumigation Continuation of past restrictions,with the added (FU1 through FU2) X X X restriction of notifying local conservation groups regarding opportunity to relocate prairie dogs. • 15-Proposed Policy VII. REVIEW AND APPROVAL STEPS Public Input A public open house was held Monday, November 10, 1997, 5:00-7:30 p.m., at the Lincoln Center. A press release was sent to all local newspapers, radio stations, etc. An ad for the open house appeared in the Coloradoan the Wednesday and Sunday before the event. An article on the proposed changes, written by Kevin Duggan, was printed on the front page of the Coloradoan the day of the event. Thirty people attended the open house. Comments were received from 25 individuals during the comment period (November 1 Oth-17th) (Appendix B). Not unexpected, five individuals commented strongly that they could not support the killing of any prairie dogs by the City, while no one advocated that the City fumigate all prairie dogs on City-owned property. In addition, no one questioned the policy to pursue purchase of additional lands for prairie dogs. Six individuals urged the City to do more to control the expansion of development and/or to purchase additional lands for prairie dogs. Methods to limit prairie dog movement through the use of predator enhancement techniques were supported by the public, while use of barriers received mixed comments due to ineffectiveness. Requiring private landowners and/or developers to construct the barriers on private land (as opposed to the City constructing barriers on City land) was advocated by six individuals. Relocation also received mixed comments. Some individuals felt that relocation was not humane and was too "stressful" to the animals or they had misgivings about the viability of relocation as a long-term management alternative. Comments received regarding fumigation clearly indicated that most of the public felt that this technique should be very limited and the need for fumigation clearly demonstrated. Staff Input and Approval The Prairie Dog Policy Committee requested City staff comments and approval through two interdepartmental teams that guide management of natural areas: the Open Lands Guidance Team (made up of Department Directors/Division Managers) and the Open Lands/Natural Areas Management Team (plans and implements site management plans for natural areas). Both Teams-approved the policy with one minor addition to one of the items, which was incorporated by the Committee. Staff from the City Attorney's and Risk Management offices also commented on the policy and provided suggested changes. Citizen Board Approval The NRAB and Parks and Recreation Board (P&RB) held a joint meeting on December 3, 1997, to discuss the proposed Prairie Dog Policy. The boards further discussed the policy at subsequent meetings and unanimously approved the proposed Prairie Dog Policy with minor editorial revisions (P&RB: January 28, 1998; NRAB: February 4, 1998). 16-Proposed Policy Next Steps • Council will consider adoption of the proposed Prairie Dog Policy at their March 3, 1998, Council Session. Following the Council Session, Natural Resources staff will revise the Prairie Dog Policy, if necessary, based on Council recommendations, and prepare a final document for City staff use and public distribution upon request. Implementation of the Prairie Dog Policy will begin immediately after Council adoption. 17-Proposed Policy PRAIRIE DOG MANAGEMENT r QUESTIONNAIRE SUMMARY AUGUST 1997 r In early July 1997, the City of Fort Colllins sent a questionnaire regarding prairie dog management to 50 city, county, state, federal, and non-profit agencies along the Front Range from southern Wyoming to northern New Mexico. A total of 20 agencies responded: 10 city, 6 county, 2 federal, and 2 non-profit agencies. The following is a summary of the results of the questionnaire. Number and Size of Natural Areas As expected, the size and number of natural area sites varied highly among the respondents. Some cities and counties had no sites classified similar to City of Fort Collins natural areas, while, not surprisingly, of the cities, Boulder Open Space had the highest number of sites--216. Fort Collins currently has 37 sites managed by the Parks Department (small sites managed by Stormwater and Water Utility were not included in the total). Other than Boulder Open Space, only one other city agency (who requested not to be named) has more sites--38—than Fort Collins. County sites varied from 0 to about 300 sites/agency. Of all the agencies, 8 had more total acreage of natural areas . than Fort Collins (total of 4,403 acres) and 11 had less acreage. Number and Size of Natural Areas Containing Prairie Dogs Among the cities, only Boulder Open Space manages more acreage (5,000 acres) containing prairie dogs than Fort Collins (1,700 acres). About 19% of Boulder's open space acreage contains prairie dogs; about 39% of Fort Collins' natural areas contain prairie dogs. The Cathy Fromme Prairie, Fort Collins largest prairie dog site, has about 170 more acres of prairie dog colonies than Boulder's largest prairie dog site. Among county and other agencies, only Buckley Air Base contains more prairie dog colonies (about 2,000 acres; 100% of their natural area acreage) than Fort Collins. Removal of Prairie Dogs on Natural Areas Cities reported typically removing from 0 to 80 (Boulder) acres of prairie dogs each year; Fort Collins removed 20 acres this spring. Counties reported removing up to 250 acres of prairie dogs. Among the city and county agencies that have prairie dog sites, 75% (including Fort Collins) reported that they removed prairie dogs from sites due to complaints from adjacent neighbors; the others did not answer the question. Removal of prairie dogs for grassland restoration and for small sites within urban areas each was reported by 5 agencies (including Fort Collins). Other reasons included "when they • migrate into parkland" (2 cities), "compliance with conservation plan" (1 city), "golf Appendix A-1 course encroachment" (1 county), "agricultural practices" (1 county), "contaminated areas or where clean-up activities would interfere with prairie dogs remaining" (Rocky Mountain Arsenal), and "national security and health" (Buckley Air Base). Fumigation v.s. Relocation When prairie dogs are removed, among the cities, 90-100% of the prairie dogs are removed by fumigation with the exception of 0%for Albuquerque (no removal done; currently receiving prairie dogs relocated from private development as "required by Environmental Health"), 0% for Denver(100% relocation; total of only 5 acres of prairie dog colonies in their system), 0% for City of Boulder Mountain Parks (no removal done; total of only 50 acres of prairie dog colonies in their system), and City of Boulder Open Space ("see plan, we don't do it by acres"). The City of Boulder's plan states that "non- lethal controls (burrow flushing and live trapping) are the preferred method," but that fumigation and poisoned grain bait are also used. A management team considers cost, available resources, and timing to determine which control technique to use. Among the counties, 80-100% of the prairie dogs are removed by fumigation; 0-20% by relocation. Prairie dogs removed from Fort Collins natural areas this spring was by fumigation (90%) and relocation (10%). Barrier Methods Plastic visual barrier fences are used by 8 agencies (4 city, 2 county, Rocky Mountain Arsenal, 1 Prairie Ecosystem Conservation Alliance). City of Boulder Open Space has the greatest extent of this type of barrier (5 miles), followed by the City of Fort Collins (3 miles). Several agencies reported poor results or"mixed" results with the use of the visual barrier fence. Shrub and tree plantings have been used by 4 agencies (Fort Collins, Denver, Boulder Mountain Parks, Buckley Air Base). Other reported methods included logs (Lakewood), wheatgrass planting (Boulder County), hay bales (Fort Collins, Boulder Mountain Parks), raptor perches (Fort Collins), and earthen beams (Fort Collins). Prairie Dog Policies Among all agencies, 6 (3 city, including Fort Collins; 1 county; Rocky Mountain Arsenal; Prairie Ecosystem Conservation Alliance) have a written prairie dog protection policy while 8 agencies (4 city, including Fort Collins; 1 county; Rocky Mountain Arsenal; Nature Conservancy; Prairie Ecosystem Conservation Alliance) have a written prairie dog removal policy. Only 4 agencies (3 city, including Fort Collins; Rocky Mountain Arsenal) have a policy that addresses restoration of grasslands containing prairie dogs. Only 3 agencies (including Fort Collins) have a written policy regarding private development on lands containing prairie dogs and private development on lands adjacent to prairie dog colonies owned or managed by the agency. Appendix A-2 • Prairie Dog Educational Material Educational material on prairie dog ecology is provided by 8 agencies (4 city, including Fort Collins; 1 county; Rocky Mountain Arsenal; Buckley Air Base; Prairie Ecosystem Conservation Alliance). Six agencies (4 city, including Fort Collins; 1 county; Prairie Ecosystem Conservation Alliance) also provide material on prairie dog control, while 8 agencies provide educational material on plague (5 city, including Fort Collins; 1 county; Rocky Mountain Arsenal; Buckley Air Base). Prairie Dog Research Only 3 city agencies conduct research on prairie dogs. Boulder Open Space monitors vegetation; Fort Collins' research projects include Winter Raptor Use of Prairie Dog Colonies (City's Natural Resources Department's volunteer project), Prairie Dog Colony Mapping Techniques (Remote Sensing Research, Inc.), Vegetation Community Mapping and Monitoring (CSU Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory), and Non-lethal Control Methods (CSU Extension). One county conducts prairie dog-related research (project not described). Rocky Mountain Arsenal has conducted a number of projects over the years, including mapping prairie dog distribution, relocation survival, reproduction, artificial burrows/angering, plague, and winter raptor use. Buckley Air Base has also been involved in research on barriers, control, and relocation in • cooperation with university, state, and other federal agencies. Prairie Dog Colony Inventory Boulder (Open Space and Mountain Parks) and Fort Collins are the only two cities that maintain an inventory of prairie dog colonies on private and public lands within their jurisdiction; 2 other cities maintain an inventory on all or a portion of their public land only. In addition, 2 counties, Rocky Mountain Arsenal, and Nature Conservancy maintain an inventory. Winter Raptor Inventory Among all agencies, 6 (including Fort Collins) maintain an inventory of winter raptor use of prairie dog colonies on private and public lands within their jurisdiction. Questions regarding the Prairie Dog Management Questionnaire should be addressed to: Karen Manci, Environmental Planner City of Fort Collins, Natural Resources Department P.O. Box 580 Fort Collins, CO 80522-0580 (970) 221-6310 E-mail: kmanci@ci.fort-collins.co.us Appendix A-3 • PROPOSED PRAIRIE DOG POLICY FOR CITY NATURAL AREAS SUMMARY OF PUBLIC COMMENTS The Open House was held Monday, November 10, 1997, 5:00-7:30 p.m., at the Lincoln Center. A press release was sent to all local newspapers, radio stations, etc. An ad for the open house appeared in the Coloradoan the Wednesday and Sunday before the event. An article on the proposed changes, written by Kevin Duggan, was printed on the front page of the Coloradoan the day of the event. Thirty people attended the open house. Comments were received from 25 individuals during the comment period (November 10th-17th). The following is a brief summary of the comments received. GENERAL COMMENTS o There should be no killing of any prairie dogs--5 people. o People who live next to prairie dogs should not pressure the City to eliminate them-1 person. o I like prairie dogs, but not in my backyard; also I don't want the rattlesnakes that live in the prairie dog holes back in this area--I person. o Approve of fumigation (even for plague), but not relocation--I person. o Still need to determine when is it mandatory to remove; why will the City consider removing prairie dogs?--2 people. o City has shown good faith for providing for a range of options-A person. o Well done exhibits; bring them to elementary and junior high schools--1 person. • o Has City considered the cost of lawsuits resulting from not controlling prairie dogs?-1 person. o What might be our legal responsibility if someone is snake-bit on a city owned prairie dog town?-1 person. o Need to have a policy statement regarding monitoring—monitor the edges so that prairie dogs never get to the point of occupying these areas--I person. o Will introductory material be included as part of Policy?--it should be--1 person. o This policy describes management that is circumstance and situation based rather than biology based. This approach is doomed to fail--1 person. o Policy is weak--there are no performance standards or criteria--1 person. o Provisions for managing people must be included as a fundamental component of any prairie dog management policy, including aspects of pet control, permissible recreation, and appropriate landscape alternatives on private property adjoining natural areas with prairie dogs-1 person. o Any person who maintains property adjoining prairie dog colonies should employ landscaping techniques that discourage prairie dogs and should avoid landscaping practices that encourage prairie dogs-A person. o City should require xeriscaping—landscape that will not attract prairie dogs --1 person. o Pets should be excluded from prairie dog colonies and not permitted to be walked or exercised on or off leash--I person. Appendix B-1 o Recreational activities including, but not limited to picnicking, mountain bicycling, ball sports, and flying disk sports need to be prohibited from natural areas with prairie dogs--I person. o Construct a plan including the Front Range, or State of Colorado, concerning the prairie dog and habitat-1 person. o True "natural areas" in Ladmer County are all native shortgrass areas, not mowed, not sprayed, not planted, and not influenced in any way by man! .Perhaps, ecologically, we should be alluding to open areas or open space-1 person. o City should adopt the County's "Code of the West"where those living next to a prairie dog colony know what this means in terms of living with these animals— landscape that will not attract prairie dogs-1 person. Policy Application o Suggest adding the following policy: "The objective of this policy is to perpetuate the existence of black-tailed prairie dog colonies on designated City of Fort Collins natural areas and to protect the health of those colonies and the individual prairie dogs that comprise them through the most biologically appropriate means available."--1 person. o What about land managed by other City departments? Will any effort be made to develop a uniform City-wide policy? If not, why not?--1 person. Land Protection o Stop the development so the prairie dogs have more room--3 people. o Preserve more open space for prairie dogs--2 people. o Add word "conserve" or"preserve" to "maintain and manage"-1 person. o I support the City's commitment to acquire, maintain, and enhance vital prairie dog habitat. Two sites that I would like to see acquired that are currently for sale are (1) The Coterie (E. Prospect, east of Sutherlands, along Spring Creek Trail)—an educational site initiated by Light & Power with support from Natural Resources, Parks, and the Wildlife Coalition; and (2) the piece of land east of Jax Surplus, N. College Ave.-1 person. Education o Should include homeowners' association meetings to teach them to contain/limit the prairie dog movement-1 person. o Real Estate agencies/developers need to provide information to purchasers of homes adjacent to prairie dog colonies-5 people. o Go into neighborhoods surrounding natural areas with brochures every 2-3 years; use scouts and Sierra Club members to distribute-1 person. o Educate the public about the prairie dog ecosystem--1 person. Natural Control o Put more emphasis on predator enhancement-1 person. o Use natural control to every extent possible-A people. o Good idea-A person. Appendix B-2 • Barriers o Barriers should be constructed on private property by private landowners, not on City land by the City; this should be required-4 people. o Make developers responsible for making effective barriers-2 people. o Complaining neighbors ought to be the ones paying for the barriers-1 person. o City should install barriers on City property if need arises and not just by landowner request-1 person. o Need to clearly state that if attempts to "encourage" landowners to construct their own barriers are not successful, then the City will proceed with construction of the barriers on adjacent City-owned land-1 person. o You shouldn't need to maintain "sensitivity to human visual aesthetics" because people shouldn't build in these areas. To exchange a view for a life is unconsciencable-1 person. o Prairie dogs should only be removed for barriers once effective barriers are found that do not require continued removal of prairie dogs-1 person. o PECA should be contacted—use solid barriers, no vinyl--vegetative and water barriers are good-1 person. o Barriers should always be required before any extermination-1 person. Relocation o Relocation of prairie dogs is stressful and results in death of animal eventually. Fumigation is definitely more humane in the long run-1 person. • o Relocation should be last resort too--it is as "repugnant" a policy as fumigation is --1 person. o I have misgivings about the viability of relocation as a long-term management alternative-1 person. o Prairie dogs should be relocated to the property of the people who complain-1 person. o Relocation is always feasible-1 person. o Need to clearly define what is meant by relocation not being "feasible"--1 person. o Prairie dogs can be successfully relocated to existing colonies within a closer distance than 1/4 mile if the entire coterie is moved together--Boulder County open space has done this--1 person. o Should allow 10 weeks, not just 6 weeks to relocate-A person. o Prairie dogs should not be relocated from March 1-May 31st so then you don't have to use poisons-4 people. o Suggest having "dog-run" areas between the barrier and development--constant running of domestic dogs in this area will discourage prairie dogs from establishing-1 person. o Areas within the city open space must be designated to receive prairie dogs next season—PECA is concentrating on creating a large preserve and not actively seeking relocation land for displaced prairie dogs at this time-1 person. o Will the City participate in and/or fund the relocation effort?-1 person. Appendix B-3 Fumigation o Insert"at least" before 6-weeks as was done under relocation-2 people. o Should allow 10 weeks, not just 6 weeks to relocate-1 person. o Non-native grasses same as "exotic"? Specify these are on natural areas, not backyards- 1 person. o No mention of protection of personal property from damage caused by prairie dogs to grass, shrubbery, etc.-1 person. o Contradictory statement "pose a human health concern" with "dust only"-1 person. o Extermination methods need to be rigid and well-defined and strictly penalized for use if other viable options exist-1 person. o I agree with no fumigation because of plague, but it is contradictory to the "Philosophy Statement" of the group-1 person. o Specific fumigant to be used should be specified--1 person. o Specify under these policies that fumigation is a last resort--1 person. Appendix B-4 Exhibit C CD • "A:AO�.ob'Azw;.``,b :: o�v"F'9i#$`: m m �-' m " m « m .m.. 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In answer to the question on surface rights on the reservoir, Pete noted that the irrigation group leases these rights to a recreation group. Jessica MacMillan asked if boat docks or ramps will be allowed? Pete replied that this would be associated with passive, interpretive use. Karen suggested that in the future the irrigation company would lease surface recreational use to Larimer County for activity control. Bald eagles should not be disturbed as they are more active at a time when people are not present. Pete said that tonight's presentation is informational only for public input, comments, and suggestions. Mike Powers asked if the minutes would be sufficient input at this time? The Board agreed to this suggestion. — , PRAIRIE DOG POLICY Natural Resources Board Chairperson Phil Murphy said that some minor changes have been made to the Prairie Dog Policy since the joint meeting in December between the two Boards . The Parks and Recreation Board is asked to review and discuss this draft policy and make a recommendation. Paul Van Valkenburg asked for a clarification on Page 12 of the second draft where reference is made to March 28, 1997, it seems to be asking to conform after the fact. Karen Manci stated that • City Plan incorporated a lot of changes regarding code, but section BA4 in the Prairie Dog Policy is reiterating land use regulations for new developments and does not affect prior developments. As an example, if plans for a development were submitted on March 29, 1997, they would need to adhere to the new guidelines. It was added, with respect to barriers that installation be required if the development plan is submitted after March 29. Section BA5 encourages, but does not require that barriers be installed. Phil does not have a problem with redrafting this part to clarify the dates,but sees it being a problem if the dates are removed. Jessica asked what barriers look like? Phil Murphy responded there are a number of ways to install barriers through berming,natural growth vegetation, or something man made. If prairie dogs can't see past a point, they don't try to expand their colony. If a natural vegetation barrier is selected, some type of cloth or plastic fencing could be used as a temporary structure until the vegetation is established. Karen added that the City currently is using a beige vinyl and is similar to the black vinyl used for erosion control. Referencing land protection on page 2,Diane asked if the Natural Resources Board had a percentage of required participation? The concern raised was whether protection of prairie dog areas would limit access to other open areas. Phil Murphy stated that the land occupied by prairie dog colonies is fairly small. Karen Manci commented that there are 1,700 acres with prairie dog colonies of a total of 4,700 acres of natural areas. It would be best to target the larger colonies and most of those are located around Fossil Creek and a few sites in the foothills. The City currently does not have • sites that have prairie dogs and where public access is not allowed. Parks and Recreation Board Minutes January 28, 1998 Page 4 Staff is working to keep the trails open and has addressed concerns on disease control. It was added that the area where diseases have been found center around the Cathy Fromme Open Space area. Larimer County Environmental Health recommended that signs be posted along the trail and entrances to areas with problems. Del noted on Page 14 of the draft proposal states the recreation area will be closed for use and the next sentence states"except possible leaving open if on permanent trail",section DC3. It was agreed this should be rephrased or clarified and suggested changing the first "will' to "may be". Diane expressed her desire to see more natural barriers(berms,plantings, etc)to keep from impacting the use of open areas, and safeguard citizen access. Karen noted that we had wanted control measures placed on the south side of the trail by Taft Canyon Estates, but during the last few years there has been some opposition. Diane commented that at the recent joint Board meeting Kelly Ohlson stated that fumigation and relocation(BA7 on page 13)gives the wrong message. Phil Friedman responded by saying that Section BA7 is directly addressing the method of encouraging barrier establishment and if a barrier is not an option, it discusses fumigation. It was then asked how many sites there are for relocation? Last year a large colony was relocated to the arsenal, but the point was well taken and at the present time and this option is limited by space and location. Diane commented that it is difficult to accept a plan that sets different policies for different parts of City properties. Virgil noted that the relocation is not always possible to perform as there are also limited times for relocation. The City needs to have the option to immediately rid areas of high maintenance. Karen said that if the City would be required to allow six weeks prior to relocation of a colony, during that time there can be some major damage to area. Phil Friedman noted that there are constraints on relocation that extend outside the realm of control of the City of Fort Collins. Larimer County, State of Colorado and the Division of Wildlife have regulations that must be considered. Realistically,relocation is one tool of management where the City has least control for performance. Virgil Taylor stated that it costs$10 per dog for relocation,and fumigation costs approximately $4 per hole. Del noted that according to the proposed policy the City is not paying for relocation of prairie dog colonies,however, the policy gives the environmental community time to relocate any prairie dog colonies to another location. Karen was thanked for doing a terrific job with a very sensitive subject. It was noted that section BA6 would require the developer to get signatures from all landowners,and Marilyn Barnes thinks that 80% would be more acceptable. Anytime the requirement of "all' is used, it is really difficult to adhere to regulations. Karen raised the concern that if a majority of landowners are in favor of barricades, and one person takes the barrier down, does that negate the barriers effectiveness? Phil Friedman proposed that the purpose of full participation was to project the minority from oppression of the majority. He also is trying to understand the rational of BA6 and reference to • Parks and Recreation Board Minutes January 28, 1998 Page 5 public land versus private land. Karen believes the policy should reflect that the "majority" of landowners would determine control methods. The consensus of the Board was to recommend the "all" be changed to "a majority of 51%". Jessica stated that the City should look at the cost effectiveness as well as time limitation when deciding between fumigation and relocation. For the amount of money it takes to relocate a colon versus fumigation, she would like to see the difference be used to send a kid to camp. Del presented a situation that if a landowner calls and states that prairie dogs are invading private property from public or private adjacent land,who is responsible and what is the policy? It does no good if prairie dogs keep coming back. Phil Friedman stated that this is reality in the natural system and this will happen. The policy addressed this by trying to keep prairie dogs out by placing barriers. It may be that ultimately management may require fumigation to keep the prairie dogs from moving onto private property. There will be calls stating the problem and asking what the City plans to do about the situation. Our response will be that where barriers are constructed, we will continue to build, maintain and improve. A call was received today and since that land was developed prior to March 28, 1997,this • person will need to get a majority of private landowners to proceed with controls. Lance Freeman made a motion to approve the plan as recommended with"majority added to A6; DC3 needs to be reworded to"may be closed to recreational use due to plague". He pointed out that the policy plan versus management plan needs to be addressed in the minutes. During discussion it was noted that was a good point, but if it is included, the policy would have to go back to the committee for change prior to presentation to City Council. Diane Thies added that we are working hard to protect the recreational user and the other group is working hard to protect the prairie dogs. Lance suggested having this as an addendum to the minutes, but do not make it part of the policy being recommended to Council. It was added that there have been times that trails and public lands have been closed for various times and reasons during the year. There also has been plague outbreaks at Pineridge before and it was posted to enter at your own risk. It was stated that if closures and postings are done correctly and not constantly,there should not be a concern that this will become a management technique. We should not shy away from the need to protect resources. Discussion centered on the motion to approve the document including the two changes and then sharing editorial comments during this evening's discussion and forwarding comments to Natural Resources Department. Del Price suggested that one of the parameters Natural Resources should consider during planning and the design process is trail placement in the natural areas. Diane Theis seconded motion which was unanimously approved (8:0). STATUS REPORT: DEVELOPMENT REVIEW OF PARKS Marty Heffernan reviewed the process in the City's Land Use Code and its affect on the review process for park development. A memo had been distributed to the Board explaining concerns about • MINUTES CITY OF FORT COLLINS NATURAL RESOURCES ADVISORY BOARD REGULAR MEETING 281 CONFERENCE ROOM-281 N. COLLEGE AVE. FEBRUARY 4, 1998 For Reference: Phil Murphy,NRAB Chair - 491-6303 Bill Bertschy, Council Liaison - 484-0181 Susie Gordon, Staff Liaison - 221-6265 Board Members Present Phil Murphy, Phil Friedman, Don Rodriguez, Jan Behunek, Ed Secor, Bill Miller, and Kelly Ohlson (7:10 p.m.) Board Members Absent Craig McGee and Randy Fischer Staff Present Natural Resources Dent: Sally Maggart, Susie Gordon and Tom Shoemaker Transportation Dent.: Suzanne Edminster, Kathleen Reavis, Randy Hensley, Tom Frazier and Ron • Phillips Advance Planning Pete Wray The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. Prairie Dog Policy Decision, Karen Manci Karen Manci, Environmental Planner, explained that the Parks & Recreation Board approved the policy unanimously with two additions: Page 13, change"approval by all landowners"to "approval of the majority of landowners", and say"may be closed to recreational use" instead of"will be". COMMENTS • Need a framework for implementation. Develop a procedure manual or implementation plan after the policy adoption. The Education Committee can determine that portion. • It is not right that you can take wildlife and move anywhere. Page 13 spells out relocation. • Set the precedent that dogs are not allowed on side trails. DECISION Phil Friedman made the motion to approve the current Prairie Dog Policy Draft and recommend that City Council approve it with the changes made by the Parks and Recreation Board. Jan Behunek seconded the motion. With the addition of a friendly amendment made by Bill Miller to change the order of the first six sets under "Relocation" on Page 13, the motion passed • unanimously (7-0).