City Council Minutes 1998 07 21 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Approval of Minutes (6/16/98) Approval of Bills PUBLIC COMMENTS Davidson asked to make a quick statement regarding prairie dogs to those in attendance. He stated that there is no deadline for the removal of prairie dogs nor has there ever been a deadline. He has received letters stating that the prairie dogs are being removed to develop the land, or to landscape the land, and both statements are untrue. He replied that the prairie dogs are being removed from the area because it is unsuitable for them. A prairie dog colony requires up to five square miles to be self-sustaining; therefore, they are being moved to an area where they have a chance to survive. Prairie dogs in urban environments are under constant stress, very susceptible to disease, and would eventually die out because of that or from consuming the limited food source and then starving to death. It has been said that on City-owned property at the fire station, a prairie dog was poisoned; however, the City does not own that property. The City has been identified as poisoning prairie dogs on the open space at Hwy 42 and South Boulder Road. That area is county property, not City property. In both cases, it is private property. As a statutory City, Louisville does not have the authority to regulate prairie dogs on private property. The City's policy is to relocate the prairie dogs to an area where they have a chance to survive. A contractor is in the process of relocating them and will continue until they are all relocated. Davidson called for public comments on items not on the agenda. Steve Lowe, 651 W. Sandbar Circle, Louisville, Colorado, stated that many of his questions were answered by Davidson's statement regarding prairie dogs. He asked that Council consider planting native grasses or trees along Via Appia after the prairie dogs have been relocated. Frosty Wooldridge, 1548 Ford Place, Louisville, Colorado, read a letter to Council asking that they take the ecosystem into consideration when making decisions involving development, open space, etc., and vote to preserve wildlife. Keany arrived at 7:08 p.m. Annelise Cummings, 795 W. Pinyon Way, Louisville, Colorado, stated she disagreed with Davidson's earlier statement that the prairie dogs are not being relocated for landscaping purposes. She asked to read a statement contained in a letter she received from Steve Baysinger, Director of Parks and Recreation, which stated "plans to upgrade landscaping the hillside on Via Appia have driven the need for relocation of the prairie dogs at that site." Davidson replied that, as the Mayor, he could assure her that Mr. Baysinger's statement was incorrect and apologized for the error. 2