Prairie Dog Relocation Concerns Gunbarrel Neighbors

BY GENEVIEVE JACOBI
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Thirty-five households in the Gunbarrel Estates HOA received a letter from the City of Boulder at the end of September informing them of the planned relocation of 500 prairie dogs by Nov.1 to an adjacent field.

The 119-acre tract of open space, called Richardson on city maps, is located north of Lookout Road and east of a commonly used walking trail east of Gunbarrel Estates.

The prairie dogs are being relocated from Foothills Community Park north of Wonderland Lake, where they have been slated for removal since 2006 due to overpopulation. 

Photo by Genevieve Jacobi
Kim Gibbs and Dan Reina stand in front of City of Boulder open space land suggested as a prairie dog relocation site.

Although a comment form was attached to the mailing, the time for responding was short. A number of the recipients were concerned that they did not have adequate time to understand the issues involved. Kimberly Gibbs and Dan Reina are spearheading a newly formed group called Concerned Citizens of Gunbarrel.

Gibbs said the group as a whole “doesn’t have an opinion about the actual relocation, but feels excluded from the process.” She provided a copy of a statement the group submitted to the Division of Wildlife, the agency that has oversight responsibility to approve prairie dog relocations statewide.

The group is requesting that a thirty-day review period be granted to allow sufficient time for proper research and to schedule a public forum where questions can be addressed. 

City of Boulder’s Urban Wildlife Coordinator Val Matheson said the acreage in question was previously home to a robust prairie dog colony that suffered a mass die-off in the winter of 2008.

After a lengthy public hearing process, the Boulder City Council gave final approval in May for the Grassland Ecosystem Management Plan. Under that plan, the Richardson tract of land was determined to be a potential site for prairie dog relocation.

After getting feedback from some Gunbarrel residents, the City of Boulder has decided to delay the relocation. “We want to do more public outreach and hold a public meeting before asking DOW to evaluate the permit next year,” said Matheson.