Sustainability Advisory Board Agenda and Packet 2020 09 16

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LCity��f Louisville City Manager's Office Memorandum To: Louisville Sustainability Advisory Board From: Katie Baum, Sustainability Specialist Date: September 16, 2020 Re: Discussion Item 9: Prairie Dog Management Summary Throughout 2020, prairie dog management in Louisville has become an ongoing topic and multiple residents have reached out to LSAB with concerns, particularly in regard to management on private property. Land development, regional location, and other factors have resulted in increases in conflicts between prairie dogs, landowners, and prairie dog control measures. To understand more completely what could be considered, LSAB become interested in Lafayette's recent ordinance on control and special permitting. At the request of LSAB, an initial review was performed to share the basics of the ordinance and to have a uniform understanding among members. It is noted that this has not undergone a formal review process across departments. This is only a summarized review for LSAB understanding and discussion. Lafayette Ordinance Overview Ordinance No. 4 Series 2020 Key Points • Added definition of prairie dog and amended definition of wildlife to include taking and relocation • The control of prairie dogs located on property within the City requires a prairie dog control permit issued by the Director of Planning, in addition to any applicable permit under any Colorado Division of Wildlife or Department of Agriculture permitting processes relating to the control of prairie dogs. Director of Planning can issue a special permit for qualifying activities. • No permit shall be issued between March 1 through June 1- prairie dog birthing and rearing season • The prairie dog control permit only authorizes the permittee to use carbon monoxide as a means of lethal control of prairie dogs. • Establishes what to be included in application for control and special permit and discretionary judgements that can be made by the Planning Dept • Includes permit exemptions (see attached ordinance) • Complete applications for special permits are required to be processed (approved or denied) within 5 business days • Complete applications for control permits (not qualifying as special permits) must be processed within 120 days and have a 60-day notice period in which signs are posted on the property, legal notice is published in a local newspaper, and certain documents are made available for the public to view on the City's website. • Establishes a Wildlife Restoration Habitat Fund - All prairie dog control permittees shall be assessed, at the time of permit issuance, a wildlife habitat restoration fee of $1,200 per acre of active wildlife habitat lost, prorated for any partial acres of lost habitat.