5.4.06

Some weeks are harder than others.

From Dave Crawford: “Last night (Weds, May 3), Boulder staff presented to the public its draft Urban Wildlife Management Plan (specifically, the prairie dog component).”

The plan covers 20 prairie dog colonies within, or bordering, city limits.

The plan calls for:
§ near-term “removal” of eight colonies (totaling 116 acres [city estimate])
§ near-term “removal” of three occupied sub-areas within larger areas that are otherwise designated for protection (the sub-areas constitute some 53 acres within otherwise protected areas totaling 248 acres [RMAD estimate based on city numbers])
§ long-term “removal” of four colonies (totaling 148.1 acres [city estimate])
§ full protection of two colonies (totaling 4 acres [city estimate])

The euphemistic “removal” means relocation if release sites are available and death otherwise. Because the city claims to have no release sites available and provides no assurance of securing new release sites, “removal” in the context of the Urban Wildlife Management Plan as now written most certainly means death.

Staff estimates about 20 prairie dogs per acre. Therefore, the plan, as developed by Boulder’s city staff, essentially calls for the killing of 6342 prairie dogs (20*[116+53+148.1]) and the protection of 3980 prairie dogs (20*[4+248-53]). That’s death for about 62% of the city’s prairie dogs, not to mention the other animals and insects who live with them.

There are about three dozen reasons why we’re not going to stand for this. Here are a few:

1. Life is precious. Native wildlife is precious.
2. City staff asserted that the “bottom line in this process is that [urban/suburban] colonies are not functioning as grassland ecosystems.” But city staff members know that scientists themselves find the definitions of “suitable habitat” and “functioning ecosystem” to be elusive in this day and age.
3. Urban/suburban colonies do support a variety of life, including mammals, snakes, reptiles, and insects.
4. Regardless of the other life present on urban/suburban colonies, this community values individual animals.
5. The city has not demonstrated – and in fact has turned its back on – a rigorous pursuit of suitable release sites for prairie dogs it says must be “removed.”
6. This is a lot about money and politics – grossly insufficient motivations for killing Boulder’s wildlife.

It appears that un-moneyed public input has meant very little to this process. Dominated by pro-animal perspectives, public input has been dismissed as unrepresentative of the public at large. (Seems staff also is struggling with the definition of democracy.)

We have no reason to believe that city council will accommodate a humane approach. Still, we will continue to push for a truly humane plan so that Boulder does not slip into the ranks of uncaring Front Range municipalities. We will provide more information, including an action alert, in the coming days. In the meantime, feel free to tell council what you think and how you feel: council@bouldercolorado.gov. Please be constructive!

[Note: Now’s a good time to join RMAD’s all-volunteer prairie wildlife team. We meet tonight (and every other Thurs) at 5:30 pm. Serious inquiries only. If you want details, write back.]

I’ve included today’s media on this situation below the Calendar. Not all of the information contained in this article seems to be accurate. Dave’s numbers, above, are more likely to be correct. Here’s yet another chance to be a voice for the already talkative prairie dogs. Write to the Camera and tell them you’re on their side!

RMAD became heavily involved in the situation at an animal shelter in Cheyenne, Wyoming, in which the 80 dogs were going to be killed due to an outbreak of canine influenza. We were moments away from signing on to an injunction with a Cheyenne lawyer, but it was too late: the noon news cast stated that 40 dogs had been already been killed that morning and the remaining 40 would follow that afternoon. The shelter did not answer phones, though dozens of animal advocacy groups – large and small – were calling with offers of help. The entire situation was extremely upsetting. I’ll be sure to keep you informed of any news from this tragedy. A reminder: if you have a few extra hours a week, volunteer at a shelter or sanctuary – they need your support!

Help RMAD name our youth-oriented vegetarian publication and win a $25 gift certificate to the Boulder Coop or Watercourse (your choice)! Simply come up with a short, catchy, Colorado-themed name for our publication and send it to outbind://45-00000000A82CA4CAABADC149A3868FBFA0BF23E1A4B62C00/vegcolorado@rmad.org. The publication is intended for youth (ages 11-17), and though serious in tone, will be visually catching. The cover will likely be featuring the artwork of a well-known cartoonist, while the content will have realistic (but not overly graphic) photos of animals. If yours is chosen, you win. Easy!

Thank you to everyone who attended the CU34/World Week for Animals in Labs and/or the Shrine Circus demonstrations. I hope to have pictures up on the website by the end of the day so be on the lookout for that.

Volunteer Opportunities:

Table with RMAD at the Boulder Creek Festival! The festival hours are as follows: Saturday, May 27: 10:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.; Sunday, May 28: 10:00 a.m.- 7:00 p.m.; Monday, May 29: 11:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. More info can be found at (http://www.bouldercreekfestival.com/). If you want to help out, please contact donnam@rmad.org and tell her which day(s) and time(s) you prefer, and whether you have experience tabling or not. This is always a lot of fun but there are a lot of hours to fill so please help out if you can.

Ann Swissdorf is looking for volunteers for her HEALTH table at both the Boulder Creek Festival and the People’s Fair in Denver. If you’re interested in working the HEALTH booth, please email Ann at outbind://45-00000000A82CA4CAABADC149A3868FBFA0BF23E1A4B62C00/anns@rmad.org.

-- Have a great week and weekend --

- Chris