HomeMy WebLinkAboutTHE LANDING AT LEMAY MULTIFAMILY AND MIXED-USE - FDP230020 - SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS - ROUND 3 - WILDLIFE DOCUMENTS
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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: Shayan Soltanian
Development Associate
Thompson Thrift Residential
FROM: Rebecca Hannon, Certified Ecologist
Project Manager
Smith Environmental and Engineering (SMITH)
DATE: July 5, 2023
RE: Prairie Dog Management Plan – Landing at Lemay
SMITH has prepared this plan for prairie dog management activities for the proposed Landing at
Lemay development, which covers approximately 17 acres in Fort Collins, Colorado (Figure 1). 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 and the Environmental Planner with the City of Fort Collins 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: DONATION
For prairie dog management activities 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. The project proponent intends to initiate project activities in the spring of
2024, and therefore, SMITH will begin management activities in the late winter and early spring.
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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
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. 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. 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.
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
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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
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. SMITH will increase trap density in these areas to minimize the need for cartridges.
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.
TASK 5. PREVENTION OF RECOLONIZATION
When all prairie dog removal activities are complete, SMITH recommends installing a silt fence along
the northern property line to prevent recolonization immediately before and during construction
(Figure 1). Once construction is complete, there will be no remaining habitat for prairie dogs, which
will be more likely to disperse to the north and west.
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.
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