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Home My WebLink About991605.tiff HEARING CERTIFICATION DOCKET NO. 99-48 RE: CONSIDER RELOCATION OF BLACK-TAILED PRAIRIE DOGS TO BANNER LAKES - STATE OF COLORADO, DIVISION OF WILDLIFE A public hearing was conducted on July 13, 1999, 1999, at 7:00 p.m., in the Keenesburg Fire Station, with the following present: Commissioner Dale K. Hall, Chair Commissioner Barbara J. Kirkmeyer, Pro-Tem - TARDY Commissioner George E. Baxter Commissioner M. J. Geile Commissioner Glenn Vaad Weld County staff members present: Acting Clerk to the Board, Carol A. Harding County Attorney, Bruce Barker Health Department representative, John Pickle, Director Health Department representative, Jeff Stoll Health Department representative, Sara Evans Health Department representative, Gary Hague Public Works representative, Ron Broda Colorado Division of Wildlife staff members present: Katie Kinney, Area Wildlife Supervisor Don Rodriguez, Technician at Banner Lakes Sharlene Haeger, Loveland Area Wildlife Supervisor Tina Jungwirth, Boulder Area Wildlife Supervisor The following business was transacted: I hereby certify that pursuant to a notice dated June 25, 1999, and duly published June 30, 1999, in the Fort Lupton Press, a public hearing was conducted to consider the request of the State of Colorado, Division of Wildlife concerning relocation of approximately 150 Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs into the Banner Lakes area. Chair Hall called the meeting to order. Bruce Barker, County Attorney, made this a matter of record, and stated the Division of Wildlife mailed a notice of said meeting to surrounding property owners, and that Section 35-7-2-3, C.R.S., requires approval of the Board of County Commissioners prior to any release of prairie dogs into a County from an area outside said County. Katie Kinney, Area Wildlife Supervisor for the Colorado Division of Wildlife, stated the Black-Tailed Prairie Dog belongs to the squirrel family; of all its senses it relies on sight and hearing most; it breeds once a year, with an average liter of four or five; and there is a 35 to 50 percent mortality rate in prairie dog towns, therefore, the Division believes the prairie dogs are self-regulating. Ms. de: CAI hit, 3/ � 991605 0 BC0027 HEARING CERTIFICATION - RELOCATION OF PRAIRIE DOGS TO BANNER LAKES, STATE OF COLORADO, DIVISION OF WILDLIFE PAGE 2 Kinney stated the Division expects to show the prairie dog can be managed and maintained without impact to adjacent landowners; therefore, it has chosen the Banner Lakes area, which is original habitat for the prairie dog, to use for a study of seven to ten sites of 20 or 25 acres each to determine what the least expensive, most impenetrable barrier is to use for containment. She stated the prairie dogs in the study will be dyed twice a year and the markings will identify the particular borough of the prairie dog. She explained when the prairie dogs are moved, the holes will be caged and the prairie dogs will be custom fed in order to allow them to learn the area. Using the map marked Exhibit A, Ms. Kinney specified the areas to be used in the study, and stated the entire area is bounded on all sides by water, and since prairie dogs do not swim they cannot leave the area. She further explained the seven types of barriers to be studied, beginning with an electric fence, a 3-foot underground fence, a vegetative border of grasses and herbs, a shrub border, and irrigated crops surrounding the entire area. Ms. Kinney read the content of Exhibit B, a Memorandum of Understanding available to each landowner for his protection from any prairie dogs which may escape the study area. Responding to Commissioner Vaad, Ms. Kinney stated presently there is only one request to move approximately 30 prairie dogs from a construction site in Greeley, and the original request to relocate 150 from out-of-county is no longer open. Commissioner Baxter stated he would prefer moving prairie dogs from farmland to this area. Responding to Chair Hall, Ms. Kinney stated the prairie dogs will be dusted bi-annually to fumigate for fleas, and explained for some reason fleas positive for plague are not found below 4,500 feet. John Pickle, Director of Weld County Department of Public Health and Environment, introduced his staff members who were present, among them Sara Evans, who has researched the health risks of prairie dogs in an inhabited area. She explained her data is from the Center for Disease Control and there are two diseases associated with prairie dogs, plague and Skinner's Disease, also known as Tularemia; both of which are fatal if not promptly treated. She explained the U. S. Forest Service was approached several years ago with the same type of request; however, it declined the request because of potential risk to the prairie dog population at that time. Ms. Evans displayed maps, marked Exhibits C, D, and E, showing there have been no plague-positive fleas east of Highway 85 for the past ten years, and also showed the specific cases of plague and plague-positive fleas over the past ten years. Mr. Pickle read an excerpt from Exhibit F, a letter from the Center for Disease Control, stating there are"significant public health risks associated with prairie dog translocations." (Let the record reflect that Commissioner Kirkmeyer is now present.) Chair Hall stated that questions posed by area residents will be answered on rebuttal after all public testimony is taken. Elizabeth Vigil asked the average size of a prairie dog town and whether family pets, such as prairie dogs and cats are likely to become hosts to the fleas. Ray Vigil stated he has seen quarter horses euthanized because of broken limbs from stepping into holes and asked why the County would want to expose the area to even one incidence of plague. Julie Blakley stated she raises show horses and is concerned for the health of her animals; she also pointed out the Division of Wildlife cannot replace a family dog or cat, or pay for the emotional loss if one dies 991605 BC0027 HEARING CERTIFICATION - RELOCATION OF PRAIRIE DOGS TO BANNER LAKES, STATE OF COLORADO, DIVISION OF WILDLIFE PAGE 3 because of disease obtained from the prairie dogs. Jim Brnak detail thousands of dollars he has spent in trying to eradicate prairie dogs, and stated he sees no reason to have to put up with more. Jake Bratton agreed there is no sense to making the problem of prairie dogs worse. Bob Warner stated he plans to donate his land to be included in the Banner Lakes area; however, he will stipulate it should not be allowed if prairie dogs are brought in. He stated in his irrigated hay the prairie dogs are wiping out the new seeding and explained he has been fighting them for a lifetime at great expense and effort. Mr. Warner suggested the Division study how to eradicate the prairie dogs instead of how to contain them, and presented a letter from the Platte Valley Soil Conservation District, marked Exhibit G, which opposes relocation of prairie dogs from outside Weld County because it does not appear to be in the best interest of the soil and water resources; it will cause serious damage because of the increased soil erosion, which will adversely effect production, reduce the amount of crop residues, cause increased wind and water erosion, erode property values, cause expensive private and public financial losses, as well as carry and transfer diseases. Janet Swank stated her concerns and asked for a diagram of the fence which is three-foot below ground. Jackie Newnam suggested the Division use the Banner Lakes prairie dog population, at its present size, for the study, and asked whether predators in the area might carry plague. Mark Kauffman presented a petition, marked Exhibit H, opposing the relocation which contains approximately 1,280 signatures of residents in the Keenesburg-Hudson area. He stated it is impossible to contain prairie dogs, that he had 40 acres inhabited by prairie dogs which grew into 120 acres, with them even expanding into sandy acreage. Mr. Kauffman stated he paid $6,000 to have 2,160 holes poisoned, eliminating 80 percent of his problem and that,with diligent effort over the next three years, finally got total control of the situation. He further stated there are less rattlesnakes with the prairie dogs gone, since they are a food source, and stated now he has prairie dogs moving into his wheat field. Christy Adams stated the prairie dog population has been steadily growing over the last couple of years and questioned why they should be moved in if there is already a population existing in the area. Jason Gustafson asked whether the Division will impose land use restrictions at Banner Lakes. Ken Bosky, Sandy Pralle, Claud Arnold, Brian Perry, John Grimes, Jodene Malone, Robert Swank, Richard Loch, and Barb Brookman all spoke in opposition to the request, and stated concerns about how close the prairie dogs have to be to transmit plague,the Henrylyn Ditch not always being full of water, cases of prairie dogs crossing roads showing that barriers do not work, making Weld County a dumping ground, impact on other wildlife in the area, impact on dryland farming, and further suggestions of moving the prairie dogs to areas where the land is already damaged. With public testimony closed, Ms. Kinney responded that a prairie dog town, if allowed to expand, has no limit or average. She explained plague is carried by fleas on cats, chipmunks, and squirrels, although dogs do not carry or transmit them; the prairie dogs are not from Boulder, the only request placed with them at present is for 30 prairie dogs from a construction site in Greeley, and State law does not require approval for moving prairie dogs within county limits; horseback riding is not allowed in the Banner Lake area; and she reiterated the prairie dogs will not be leaving 991605 BC0027 HEARING CERTIFICATION - RELOCATION OF PRAIRIE DOGS TO BANNER LAKES, STATE OF COLORADO, DIVISION OF WILDLIFE PAGE 4 the Banner Lake area, since the purpose of the study is to find the least expensive, impenetrable barrier. Ms. Kinney stated the prairie dogs will not go where they cannot see; there will not be any financial losses; the Division is asking only to be allowed to manage the prairie dogs on its own property; the fence is built with a trench which is three feet below and three feet above ground with taller vegetation in the back, and the vegetation gradually getting taller as it goes further back; the young males migrate to the outside holes; predators stay where the food base is; cats are the only domestic animal that carries the fleas; Tularemia is mostly in rabbits; and she explained the prairie dogs will be quarantined 14 day before the move, even though 48 hours will kill the ones with plague. Ms. Kinney stated the Division has not moved any prairie dogs to date, although a private party may have. She also explained one of the barriers they may experiment with is a silk cloth barrier, although it is difficult with heavy winds, since the prairie dogs will get through if they see any light at all. She said the land use restrictions have not and will not change; there are more pheasants than ever in the area; prairie dogs do not move in winter or at night; and healthwise, it is not too close to use a shovel to scoop up a dead prairie dog to dispose of it. Responding to Commissioner Geile, Ms. Kinney reiterated the only request the Division has at present to relocate prairie dogs is from Greeley, and she is uncertain whether prairie dogs would be moved within the County if the Board of County Commissioners denies the request. Responding to Chair Hall, Ms. Kinney clarified the original request to move 150 prairie dogs no longer exists; however, the Division will get requests from other counties. Commissioner Baxter stated concerns about plague being transmitted in the past by prairie dogs that were quarantined, and whether the fleas are transmitted by coyotes and hawks. Susan Miller, associate of Wild Places, which is a non-profit group which handles relocations, stated there was a group which supplied prairie dogs with no quarantine and wiped out the ferret population costing millions of dollars; although she has approximately ten years of experience handling them and has no plague worries. Ms. Kinney reiterated there is no documentation of plague east of Highway 85, and that for some unknown reason, fleas above 4,500 feet carry plague. Responding to Commissioners Geile and Kirkmeyer, Ms. Kinney stated although the Center for Disease Control suggests measures to restrict transmittal, they will spread regardless of how the prairie dogs are transferred. Also responding to Commissioner Kirkmeyer, Ms. Kinney stated there is no conflict with land use or loss of farm production, in fact, grazing animals in prairie dog towns are better off because the shorter grass is more nutritious, and the prairie dogs are not a problem to neighbors. Ms. Kinney responded to further questions stating the Memorandum of Understanding guarantees the prairie dogs will not get to surrounding farms; if they cannot be contained they will be euthanized. Responding to Commissioner Geile, Ms. Evans reviewed the plague positive map and stated they have been found in Greeley as early as 1997, also in Pierce, Ault, Hudson, and Fort Lupton. Responding to Commissioner Baxter, Ms. Evans stated data from the Center for Disease Control showed two instances of prairie dogs trapped for resell, with fleas removed and a 14-day quarantine that still transferred plague positive fleas. Responding to Commissioner Baxter, Don Rodriguez, Banner Lakes Technician, stated the Division has approximately 50 acres of irrigated 991605 BC0027 HEARING CERTIFICATION - RELOCATION OF PRAIRIE DOGS TO BANNER LAKES, STATE OF COLORADO, DIVISION OF WILDLIFE PAGE 5 crops, although if water is not available it might require some dryland farming. Mr. Rodriguez explained the crop is totally for the benefit of wildlife, no harvest is done. Responding to Chair Hall and Commissioners Baxter and Geile, Ms. Kinney clarified that the original request for 150 prairie dogs no longer exists; however, other requests will be received and, upon Board approval of the overall plan, other requests would be granted. She stated the Division would not move 2,200 prairie dogs into this area. Mr. Barker stated the Board only has authority over those cases of prairie dogs being moved into Weld County from other counties and that based on the plan, initially 150 would be moved, up to a maximum of 2,250. Commissioner Vaad stated he has been persuaded by testimony that there is no benefit to the public, 1,200 signatures on a petition carries great weight with him, he is certainly against moving any prairie dogs to Weld County from other counties, and he will oppose any artificial movement of prairie dogs. Commissioner Kirkmeyer stated she concurs with Commissioner Vaad, and moved to deny the request to relocate prairie dogs to the Banner Lakes area. Commissioner Geile seconded the motion and stated the evidence presented by the Weld County Department of Public Health and Environment causes major concern regarding the health and safety of the public, and the testimony and petitions are a clear indication the residents do not want the prairie dogs here. Commissioner Baxter agreed with Commission Geile's comments and suggested the Division use the prairie dogs already in the area instead of moving more in. On a call for the vote, the motion carried unanimously. This Certification was approved on the 19th day of July, 1999. ATT MAT APPROVED: -�+;', �, BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS EOUNTYCODO COO O the Board iss) • 41:? DChair/ rte,. �e •t he Board Barbara J. Kirkmeyer, Pro-Tem was not working, //` ' /� /7 ape not available) • Geor e E. ter DOCKET#99-482Se r�G rr� Glenn Vaadc=' 991605 BC0027 L WAilezionle-4 S Y5 u1Cu2 tf 9 /i4455,-•t , G., lvG<<r 17Ay/Wv/€/b ET 994;-sT / 9'/ 7:} a_1°R._ y7%"z1_. /fuL>_son.- 60 5069z_ eye y4!e#r ©X/ / 7C' - ‘,--7424,---_c , ,a !;v / el t,ittA 1J�2 L> 7 y/ , / <.2 /L c, <<:� I �;,. .�. Acc_, ._ z ) ��C�. '1.6.\tic C V4/te3 itvA cy, K I1[) CD. A.ADvc z.K_) /cc ezicsk) l.i'. u-Q .,Ct.. 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