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LC140 Louisville <br />MEMORANDUM <br />To: Open Space Advisory Board <br />From: Open Space Division <br />Date: April 10, 2024 <br />Re: Information Item 6: Staff Updates <br />General: <br />1. The Trails & Maintenance team is happy to inform you that our first seasonal employee <br />started work on April 15Y, 2024. Additional interviews are scheduled for April 3rd to hire <br />the second trails & maintenance seasonal. <br />2. The Natural Resource team has hired one seasonal candidate (start date May 8th), staff <br />will be interviewing two more candidates this Wednesday April 3rd. <br />3. Staff helped out with snow and branch removal post spring snow storm. <br />Natural Resources: <br />1. Staff attended a Navigating Coexistence training course designed for mitigating wildlife <br />concerns. Hosted by Denver Zoo. <br />2. Nine smooth brome study plots have been set up at North, (4) Mowing plots, (4) grazing <br />plots and a control plot. Located on the Northwest section of North Open Space off of <br />the main trail corridor. Plots will be testing different utilization rates of grazing and <br />mowing intervals and their effects on vigor and abundance of smooth brome. <br />3. Staff has started acquiring native plants for Aquarius Pocket Prairie Planting for Earth <br />Day. Staff and volunteers will be planting a variety of native forbs and shrubs in main <br />parking lot and trailhead area. <br />4. Cattle and Goat grazing contracts have been signed for the 2024 season. <br />5. Staff is drafting our Natural Resource seasonal staff 2024 Work plan. <br />6. Staff has been compiling past vegetation surveying GIS data into one comprehensive <br />map, reached out to potential contractors for price estimate on city wide vegetation <br />mapping which has been proposed to be added to the 2024 work plan. <br />7. Staff has been collaborating and planning a Grasslands Restoration and Mitigation <br />Outreach Event for Last weekend in May. <br />8. Staff is in talks with CU post -doctoral researcher about looking at grassland fuel and fire <br />dynamics after different management techniques (grazing, mowing, fire). <br />9. Staff collaborated with CSU and CSFS on new fire-resistant landscaping publication. <br />10. Staff purchased a new seed mix from Arkansas Valley Seed and seeded 4.5 acres on <br />Davidson Mesa with the new Western Shortgrass Prairie Restoration mix. <br />15 <br />