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Open Space Advisory Board <br />Minutes <br />August 14, 2024 <br />Page 3 of 8 <br />parking, trails, etc. and offer input to this process. No action for OSAB yet. Coal Creek golf <br />course has been recently allocated an Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary designation. <br />- The Meadowlark Trail that is a part of the Dirty Bismark loop will be closed for cattle grazing <br />for -1 month (Aug 12 to Sep 13). <br />8. 7:25 pm Discussion Item: Strategies for Protecting Habitat and Avoiding <br />Extinction, Presented by Steve Jones Wildlife Consultant (40 Minutes). <br />Steve Jones (Boulder County Nature Association, Boulder County Audubon) presentation on <br />Avoiding Extinction: Saving Threatened and Extirpated Species in Boulder County. <br />Steve provided a slide show addressing concerns over losing wildlife species in our local <br />communities and how local governments can create plans and policies to protect local <br />wildlife habitats. <br />- He claims that up until 2010 no species were lost in Boulder County mainly due to good <br />policy that protected land and wildlife. <br />- He commented that the main reason we are now beginning to lose species is that local <br />governments are negotiating directly with businesses and have little to no representation <br />from the nature conservancy community. He advocates that people should think about what <br />is natural, not necessarily aesthetically pleasing. <br />- He provided examples of wildlife either extirpated or reduced in population. <br />o Several different bird species (due to fewer wild grass areas) <br />o Pronghorn, grey wolves <br />o Burrowing owls (due to encroachment of trees overtaking grasslands, trees also host <br />to predators) <br />o Larks Buntings (due to less grasslands) <br />o White-tailed Jackrabbits <br />- He emphasized the need for grasslands to support these species and cited the Pawnee <br />grasslands as an important example of a protected area. <br />- Contributors to losing ecosystem and wildlife over the years: <br />o Railroads <br />o Invasive trees (pushing out grasslands, thus species that depend on grasslands) <br />o Pine beetles (recently) <br />- Examples of wildlife that are coming back: <br />o Elk and Bighorn sheep are starting to come back and increase in population <br />o River otters have been reported along Peak -to -Peak highway and are starting to <br />come back in population. <br />o Golden eagles, Bald eagles, and Peregrine falcons are coming back <br />- He mentioned that tree invasion is the biggest threat to bird population (creating fewer <br />grasslands and providing perches for raptors). <br />- He also mentioned that there are new urban -adapted predators that are growing in <br />population such as the Red Fox that are reducing the wildlife population. <br />- Unplanned or unnatural wildfires are contributors. There are also insufficient natural fires to <br />limit tree crowding (i.e., naturally thin the forest to create open areas). <br />- What do we need to do? <br />City of Louisville <br />Parks Division 749 Main Street Louisville CO 80027 <br />303.335.4774 (phone) www.LouisvilleCO.gov <br />5 <br />