[BoulderCouncilHotline] Questions on Prairie Dogs

[Morzel, Lisa]

Council

 I have several questions about how we got to where we are with regard to prairie dogs on agriculturally designated land. These include:

1. What is the responsibility of the lessee to steward city land?

2. What is the responsibility of OSMP for its leased lands?

3. Have city built barriers on boundaries with private property?

4. Why have private property owners not built barriers? Have they ?

5.  how have drought/flood conditions affected our grass lands and Ag lands over the past 10-15 years?
what are those changes?
how are they monitored?

6. how is ANU defined?

7. What’s the reasoning in allowing 2 animals (cow plus calf) as one ANU ?

8. to what age is a calf considered part of 1 ANU with his mom?

9. at what age do calves stop nursing and start eating grass?, 

10. When is a calf considered a cow ?

11. are we overgrazing- how is that measured and monitored?  

12. Do grazing allotments change annually to reflect seasonal changes and drought?

13. how much funds does OSMP receive from leasing the 2 Ag lands?

14. what would be involved in converting from Ag to natural grasslands?  Would it be possible to relocate or encourage more predators (coyotes, Fox, black-footed ferrets, birds of prey) to the most affected lands? Would it be possible to convert these lands back to natural grasslands ?

what would be an estimated cost and timeline?
I’m assuming if osmp tries to restore these lands, cattle could not graze there for some while restoration. Is that correct? And how much time would it take to restore the balance on the land? 


15. Finally, while I have no interest in lethal control of pd’s, I am curious what the cost would be for lethal control, staffing, and restoring those particular Ag lands most affected by pd’s back to a “productive “ state and how long would that take?    I again am assuming cattle could not graze during the restoration so the current cow population on those lands would need to move. Is that correct?

Thank you. 

Lisa

Lisa Morzel
Member, Boulder City Council
303-815-6723 c
303-938-8520 h