October 2023 | 2 important changes to the City of Boulder’s prairie dog policy
On 10/5/23, Boulder City Council approved 2 changes to their prairie dog policy. The changes are:
“Modifications to the geographic scope of the 2020 council-approved management program reducing prairie dog conflict on irrigated agricultural lands, to expand implementation of the project beyond the previously defined northern project area to encompass Open Space and Mountain Parks irrigable agricultural properties system-wide that are designated as transition and removal areas.”
And:
“Replacement of the existing burrow disturbance rule to allow burrow disturbance to a depth of 6 inches or 12 inches with prior notification, system-wide on Open Space and Mountain Parks irrigated agricultural properties.”
All council members voted in favor with no discussion. Before Council’s vote, Dan Burke and Heather Swanson of OSMP gave a short presentation on the changes requested. According to them, the program has been “very successful…..with tremendous progress…..and experimental coexistence strategies….with help from regenerative practices.”
Other salient points made during their presentation include:
over the last 3 years 457 acres of prairie dogs have been removed with lethal control and relocations;
71,950 feet of barrier has been installed around cleared fields;
restoration is complete on 72 acres with 290 acres still in the process of being restored, all for a cost of $1,848,530. That computes to a per-acre-cleared-cost of $4045, with restoration still incomplete on the majority of cleared acres.