HomeMy WebLinkAboutJEROME STREET STATION - FDP230006 - SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS - ROUND 2 - WILDLIFE DOCUMENTS
Smith Environmental and Engineering
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W W W . S M I T H D E L I V E R S . C O M
250 Perry Lane, Dacono, CO 80514 phone: 720.887.4928 fax: 720.887.4680
TO: Russell Baker
Principal
Black Timber Land Co.
FROM: Rebecca Hannon, Certified Ecologist
Project Manager
Smith Environmental and Engineering (SMITH)
DATE: April 4, 2023
RE: Prairie Dog Management Plan – Jerome Street Station
SMITH has prepared this plan for prairie dog management activities for the proposed Jerome Street
Station development, which covers approximately 7.1 acres in Fort Collins, Colorado (see attached
figure). It details the scope of work that SMITH will complete to remove black-tailed prairie dogs
(Cynomys ludovicianus) located within the limits of disturbance.
TASK 1: BURROWING OWL SURVEYS
All prairie dog colonies, active or inactive, provide potential habitat for the burrowing owl (Athene
cunicularia). The burrowing owl nests in Colorado from mid-March through October each year. If any
prairie dog management activities are proposed during the nesting season, burrowing owl surveys must
be completed. SMITH will complete owl surveys following the recommended guidelines from Colorado
Parks and Wildlife (CPW 2021). Surveys will consist of three separate site visits that will be
conducted within two hours of sunrise or sunset on days with low winds and no precipitation. A
qualified biologist will survey the entire property with binoculars for 10 minutes at each survey point;
the number of survey points will be determined by the lines-of-sight on the property. A recorded
burrowing owl call will be utilized to increase odds of detection.
Surveys should begin approximately two weeks before the scheduled start of prairie dog management
activities. If owls are identified on-site, the CPW District Wildlife Manager (DWM) for the Fort
Collins area should be notified. Given the small size of the site, prairie dog management and
construction activities should be delayed until the fall when the owl(s) will likely migrate. If owls are
not detected, activities can proceed as scheduled.
TASK 2, OPTION A: LIVE RELOCATION
Relocation is only a management option during certain months, because prairie dogs cannot be
relocated when the females are pregnant and/or pups are still dependent on their mothers. If the project
proceeds between July and November, prairie dogs will be accepted for relocation by the US Fish and
Wildlife Service (USFWS) at the Pueblo Chemical Depot. Subtasks for this method are described
below. During other times of the year, Option B will be recommended.
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Colorado Parks and Wildlife Permit
A permit is required from CPW to relocate prairie dogs. SMTH will work with Black Timber Land Co.
and the USFWS to obtain a CPW permit.
Population Estimate
The CPW permit application requires a population estimate for prairie dog colonies that are to be
relocated. This information also allows for accurate planning and preparation of the release site. A
qualified wildlife biologist with SMITH will complete a population estimate using visual count
methodology by Severson and Plumb (1998). Three survey counts will be conducted on different days
to maximize the probability of seeing individuals above ground. Multipliers will be applied to the
maximum count to account for individuals below ground during the surveys and to provide a
population range to the USFWS.
Coterie Identification
Within the greater colony, prairie dogs live in family groups called coteries. To reduce mortality caused
by the relocation process, prairie dogs need to be moved as a family unit. Males are very territorial, so
this will reduce hostility between males. SMITH will identify and map the coteries within the colony
so that family units can be moved together. Each coterie will be identified by a number.
Burrow Dusting
CPW requires that all prairie dog burrows at the capture site be treated with Delta Dust
(Deltamerthrine – EPA Reg.#432-772) one week prior to trapping. SMITH’s licensed applicators
will dust the burrows one week prior to trapping activities.
Live Trapping
SMITH will utilize Tomahawk traps baited with sweetened rolled oats to remove prairie dogs. The
trapping period will include three days of pre-baiting during which prairie dogs are allowed to acclimate
to the traps, followed by seven days of live trapping. Captured prairie dogs will be removed from the
trapping field within four hours of capture and housed in their cages in a protected area on site until
the daily trapping period is complete. If the temperature is below 32° F or above 75° F, prairie dogs
will be moved to a protected area within 1.5 hours of capture. Traps will be activated and monitored on
weekdays between 0800 and 1700 hrs. Each captured prairie dog will be removed from its trap by a
trained wildlife technician and treated for fleas with Pyranha Insecticide (Pymethrin - EPA Reg.
#21165-1). The sex, coterie and approximate age of each prairie dog will be recorded, and the prairie
dog will be returned to its trap. Any non-target animals that are trapped will be released immediately.
Many factors contribute to the success of a trapping effort. Weather plays a significant role in prairie
dog capture success. Black-tailed prairie dogs are diurnal and do not hibernate, but they have extremely
poor vision in low light. As a result, they are less active on cloudy days, and they may remain in their
burrows for several consecutive days during inclement weather. Human disturbance can also decrease
the success of a trapping effort. When prairie dogs encounter what they perceive to be a threat, an
alarm call is sounded, and individuals retreat into their burrows. A pedestrian walking on a sidewalk, a
vehicle driving through the site, or members of a survey crew could all cause prairie dogs to move
underground, thereby limiting capture time. For these reasons, SMITH monitors trapping areas from a
distance using binoculars, and removes captured prairie dogs from the field only every few hours.
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Live Transport
Prairie dogs will be transported to the release site in a covered pickup truck bed or covered trailer.
Prairie dogs will remain in their traps during transport. The USFWS will be responsible for the release
of the prairie dogs at the chemical depot. SMITH will transfer the prairie dogs to them at the release
site or an agreed upon location near Pueblo.
TASK 2, OPTION B: DONATION
If prairie dog management activities are scheduled to occur between December and May, live trapping
for donation to a raptor rehabilitation center is the only feasible option. Even then, trapping is
discouraged in April and May due to the potential for separating pups and mothers. The following
subtasks describe this approach.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife Notification
CPW requires a permit only when prairie dogs are transported alive. For non-permitted projects, CPW
requests communication prior to the start of trapping and submission of documentation of the number
of prairie dogs removed and donated from project sites following project completion. SMITH will
contact the DWM for the area and submit a CPW Dead Prairie Dog Transportation Report upon
project completion.
Live Trapping
Trapping procedures are generally the same as those described in Option A. Prairie dogs will not be
removed from their traps before being euthanized and will not be treated with insecticide.
Euthanizing
SMITH utilizes compressed carbon dioxide (CO2) gas to euthanize prairie dogs. Captured prairie
dogs will remain in their cages which will be placed four at a time into gas chambers. Following the
American Veterinary Medical Association procedures for euthanasia using CO2, SMITH will slowly
subject the captured prairie dogs to the gas, which will put them to sleep and kill them within about 20
minutes. SMITH will also perform cervical dislocation on each animal after gassing to ensure death.
Donation
SMITH will store all euthanized prairie dogs in freezers at the SMITH facility for up to one month.
This ensures that any disease vectors, specifically fleas, are dead. SMITH will donate dead prairie dogs
to the Rocky Mountain Raptor Program in Fort Collins where they will be used as food for
rehabilitating raptors. SMITH has been donating prairie dogs to this facility for over five years.
TASK 3: FUMIGATION
Live-trapping projects do not capture 100% of the population; there is always a proportion of
individuals that are not catchable. Because of this, SMITH will fumigate all burrows within the
project area using pressurized exhaust. The Pressurized Exhaust Rodent Controller (PERC) utilizes
compressed exhaust collected from a small internal combustion engine. Upon collection, the exhaust
is cooled and compressed for distribution into burrows. SMITH will utilize this machine to fill
burrows with engine exhaust, which contains a high level of carbon monoxide gas. Once a burrow is
filled with the gas, it is plugged with soil whereby all animals in the burrow should succumb to the
gas. After the initial treatment, SMITH will perform two follow-up inspections and re-treat all open
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burrows found during that time. Prairie dogs can survive all three treatments or migrate onto the site
from nearby properties. If needed, SMITH can provide additional treatments.
Pressurized exhaust can only be used on burrows located 100 feet or more from any habitable
structure due to Colorado Department of Agriculture regulations. All burrows requiring treatment
within 100 feet of a structure can be treated with CO cartridges, which are not regulated against such
use. However, there are significant sourcing issues with CO cartridges at present, and SMITH
cannot guarantee that we will have adequate supply in stock in 2023. SMITH will increase trap
density in these areas to hopefully minimize the need for cartridges. There are some commercially
available alternatives, but their reliability and efficacy are unknown.
TASK 4: COMPLETION REPORT
After fumigation, a completion report will be submitted summarizing the management activities that
occurred, stating that no prairie dogs remain within the limits of disturbance, and authorizing
earthmoving activities to proceed.
References
CPW. 2021. Recommended Survey Protocols and Actions to Protect Nesting Burrowing Owls.
Available at: https://cpw.state.co.us/Documents/WildlifeSpecies/LivingWithWildlife/Recommended-
Survey-Protocol-Burrowing-Owls.pdf. Accessed April 4, 2023.
Severson, K. E., and G. E. Plumb. 1998. Comparison of methods to estimate population densities of
black-tailed prairie dogs. Wildlife Society Bulletin 26:859–866.
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