Nu-West, North, South
Parcel Name + Ownership
Nu-West, City of Boulder Open Space; Nu-West North is currently leased by a local farm.
Parcel Size
74.27 sq. acres
Purchase Date + Price
1984 ➔ $504,000
Prairie dog burrows and exotic, invasive weeds proliferate on Nu-West OSMP property (2020).
Land Health Status
Nu-West South is an irrigated field with prairie dogs.
A former hayfield and pasture, NuWest South is currently not leased and is managed by OSMP staff. Staff has started irrigating Nu-West more consistently this year, and so it looks pretty green. But if you look at the vegetation closely you will see that all is not well with this field.
There is only a small strip of grass in the photo above. The rest of the field is covered in non-native invasive bindweed and Canada thistle. The raised prairie dog burrows block irrigation water and cause uneven, incomplete irrigation of the site. Exotic weeds like thistle then proliferate in the areas without irrigation (on burrow mounds or in dry areas). Thistles and bindweed are unpalatable to prairie dogs. With high occupancy levels, the grass eventually fails from constant clipping by prairie dogs, and only non-native invasive weeds are left
Nu-West North is currently an irrigated, staff-restored field without prairie dogs.
OSMP performed two separate relocation attempts plus lethal control to remove prairie dogs on Nu-West North. The parcel was then key-line plowed and reseeded, and grass is finally growing again. Welded wire fence + landscape material (partially buried) keep prairie dogs and other wildlife off this parcel for now. This barrier requires constant maintenance, and animals will eventually burrow under it.
Current Prairie Dog Occupation
As of March 2020, approximately 20 acres/27% of Nu-West is occupied by prairie dog colonies.
