Open Space Advisory Board Agenda and Packet 2021 10 21

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Regarding "Education and Interpretation," Lafayette has similar signage to what's being proposed and they are vandalized, disused, or present a very one-sided interpretation of the land. The signs around Rock Creek Farm/Stearns Lake celebrate the destruction ("taming") of the prairie; the coal -history signage on the Coal Creek Trail west of Public Road is dull and impossible to read; the "Raptor Rapture" sign south of Coal Creek Meadows is vandalized and lacks utility for wildlife ID. If people are interested in coal, can't we direct them to the Mining Museum in Lafayette? (The peak ID sign at Aquarius is great, though.) Cattle should be completely excluded from Coal Creek itself with fencing to preserve the riparian corridor on town -owned land, and livestock should instead watered via a stock tank, hydrologically isolated manmade pond, or via access to an extant irrigation ditch. Cow poop contributes to springtime e. coli blooms in Coal Creek. Plus, in our and conditions, it takes years for cow poop to breakdown into its constituent parts that are useful to plant growth. It's not like cows poop ready -to -go fertilizer. If cows pooped ready -to -go fertilizer, the farm wouldn't need chemical fertilizers; this is not the case. Furthermore, the use of agricultural chemicals should be discontinued within a Chemical Exclusion Zone around Coal Creek. Insecticides, pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizer are entering the waterway here to the detriment of the creek, its ability to support wildlife, and downstream use/users. If agriculture is not economically viable without the use of such inputs, then it is neither economically viable nor ecologically wise for our community. Prairie dogs should be managed using permaculture techniques. In 2017, Lafayette voters enacted the Climate Bill of Rights, which grants rights to ecosystems. Prairie dogs are a well- known keystone species to the short -grass prairie providing food to a bevy of carnivores, and their disused tunnels house burrowing owls, among others. Removing prairie dogs impinges the ecosystem's voter -granted right to exist. Together with adjacent publicly owned properties, we are presented here with an opportunity to create a large connected zone for wildlife, encourage the return of mesocarnivores (lynx, coyotes, mink, foxes, etc.) and view a semi -functional prairie ecosystem. (Semi -functional because we're unlikely to have an alpha predator; we can truck in some bison from nearby farms to graze it periodically, however.) Yes, it will take time to recover, but probably less time than it took to destroy. Wouldn't a semi -functional prairie ecosystem (rare to nonexistent in this or any area) be more impressive to see than a monoculture farm or some signs that celebrate coal mining? Build a shaded and elevated platform/blind for wildlife viewing instead of the two or three picnic tables, which would be farther from a parking area than most picnickers are willing to tote their gear. Lafayette has other areas, such as the Public Road Trailhead, that are already heavily impacted by impervious surfaces and could more easily support a shade structure or a public BBQ. Or add to that rock circle thingy where the Harney-Lastoka Trail splits off from Coal Creek. Fund a ranger or support the training of volunteer rangers, such as are used in the Indian Peaks Wilderness. 4