Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023
Poll Tells OSMP How to Be A Good Neighbor
According to their December 2022 census, Boulder’s Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP) lands comprise 5196 acres of prairie dogs, unfold between its Prairie Dog Conservation Areas (the place they’re needed) and OSMP’s agricultural lands (the place they don’t seem to be).
These 1000’s of acres of prairie dogs impact neighboring landowners, who report issues like: “Our adjoining Open Space has gone from lovely, irrigated hay pasture to dirt, weeds, and prairie dog holes,” and “Please help us. We are being invaded by prairie dogs. They are in our yard and our septic field.”
Recently, the Open Space Board requested employees the best way to enhance relations with OSMP’s neighbors. Our group requested OSMP’s neighbors the best way to just do that. Here are the chances of our ballot’s 68 respondents and the actions they suggest OSMP take to enhance relations with them.
– 94% of respondents: “Remove prairie dogs from the OSMP field next to my property.”
– 91%: “Communicate collaboratively with fellow shareholders of irrigation ditches to work out water delivery.”
– 91%: “Assign a ‘Fixer’ to each OSMP property to fix problems on that property. Give the Fixer’s – number to neighbors to report problems.”
– 91%: “Meet face-to-face with small groups of neighbors bordering each OSMP property with prairie dogs. Solicit neighbor issues and advice. Address the problems they raise.”
– 88%: “Increase lethal control to 200 acres per year, as already approved by City Council.”
– 88%: “Routinely clear all noxious weeds on OSMP properties before weeds set seed.”
– 83%: “Notify adjacent neighbors before working on a property (lethal control, relocations, Delta Dust, weed control, irrigation upgrades, barriers, fencing).”
– 82%: “Provide neighbors with a number to report problems on neighboring OSMP properties.”
As one respondent stated, “To become a ‘good neighbor’ and a good steward of the land, lethal control of prairie dogs is one key action, and the others are irrigation and weed control.”
Other important findings of our ballot are
1.) Relocations of prairie dogs aren’t well-liked, in all probability due to their cost ($273-$341 per prairie canine) and ineffectiveness;
2.) Barriers price decrease than different options, maybe due to 30+ years-experience with ineffective un-maintained City and County limitations; and
3.) A barrier cost sharing program has the least assist of all different choices to manage prairie dogs, maybe due to common skepticism about barrier effectiveness, and beliefs that OSMP ought to pay the total cost, since OSMP’s animals are damaging neighbors’ non-public property.
We hope that the Open Space Board and employees will take our ballot findings to coronary heart and implement what their neighbors are asking for. As certainly one of our respondents says, “When neighbors bring to our attention that what we are doing on our property is negatively impacting the lives and property of our neighbors, we should take steps to alleviate that conduct and the conditions our conduct has created. We have a responsibility as landowners and neighbors to continually make our lands and neighborhoods better places.”
Elizabeth Black and Paula Shuler have organized HEAL, Healthy Ecosystems and Agricultural Lands, to advertise good stewardship of Boulder’s Open Space agricultural lands.
Community Conversation about 2023 election modifications
Maybe you’ve already attended a City of Boulder candidate discussion board or heard about this fall’s election, together with the first-ever direct election of the mayor. But do you know that as a result of now we have greater than 2 mayoral candidates working we’ll be utilizing ranked selection voting (on the spot runoff) for the mayoral contest?
I’ve been having conversations with associates, household and acquaintances they usually have questions similar to:
– What if I wish to rank just one candidate for mayor?
– How does the moment runoff work?
– What do you imply 5 new council members could be elected? I assumed there have been 4 seats to fill?
– What if I make a mistake whereas filling out my poll? How do I appropriate it?
– When will I do know who received?
If you have got these or different questions, come to the Community Conversation with displays by the Boulder City Clerk, Boulder County Clerk and the League of Women Voters of Boulder County, Tuesday, Sept 19th at 6:30 p.m. on the Boulder JCC. Spanish translation will likely be available. Details are on the Events calendar web page of LWVBC.org.
Holly Monkman is the director of motion + advocacy for League of Women Voters of Boulder County
Community invited to arts-focused candidate discussion board
Election season is right here, and it’s time to stand up to hurry on candidates and points!
Create Boulder and the Boulder County Arts Alliance will likely be co-presenting a Mayoral and Council candidates discussion board targeted on arts and tradition on Tuesday, September twenty sixth at 5:30pm on the Dairy Arts Center.
We have two important alternatives to vote in assist of the humanities in November 2023:
- Extend an present 0.15% gross sales tax that might dedicate 50% of the funding to arts, tradition and heritage, with out elevating taxes.
- Elect a majority on the Council that assist the humanities. Five of 9 council member slots will likely be on the poll, together with our first elected Mayor.
Meet the Candidates for Mayor and City Council, and study their views on the way forward for Arts & Culture in Boulder.
All are welcome. Free admission. RSVP here.
Abra Allan is director of operations for Create Boulder.
Opinion arts Boulder Boulder County Arts Alliance candidates city council city of Boulder Create Boulder election League of Women Voters mayor open space Open Space Board of Trustees opinion OSBT OSMP prairie dogs ranked choice voting
