Kevin Duggan

kevinduggan@coloradoan.com

Prairie dogs have scored a victory in Fort Collins, or at least their advocates have.

The City Council on Tuesday gave initial approval to a set of changes to the city’s Land Use Code aimed at giving prairie dogs more protection from development than they have enjoyed during the last 20 years.

The changes don’t guarantee that prairie dog colonies on private property would not be disturbed by development or that they would be allowed to stay in place. But the new rules would establish standards for better treatment of the animals as a valued natural resource.

The biggest code change would decrease the colony size threshold for when a developer must take steps to protect the animals or mitigate the impacts to them from development.

The current standard is 50 acres. If a colony is smaller than that, a developer is free to do whatever it chooses with the colony, including fumigation, without oversight from the city.

Headache alert: Prospect/College project to begin

The new standard, if approved on final reading in the coming weeks, would be 1 acre.

The size difference matters in that the 1-acre standard would cover the majority of remaining prairie dog colonies on private property within the city, according to a staff report.

A prairie dog colony would be considered a special feature during the city’s development review process, meaning it must be addressed. That could mean protection or mitigation.

Mitigation would be considered on a case-by-case basis, as it is now. Requirements could include on- or off-site improvements, relocating the animals or making a payment in lieu of relocation if eradication turns out to be the preferred option.

A developer also would be required to document the timing and methods used for moving or eradicating prairie dogs.

The city may not regulate fumigation under state law, but staff would encourage the use of the most humane method, which at the moment is carbon monoxide, when it’s done.

The changes come after more than a year of work by the local Prairie Dog Relocation Group to encourage the city to review its policies regarding prairie dogs on private land as well as city-owned property, such as natural areas.

The group successfully lobbied for moving hundreds of prairie dogs from near the intersection of Buckingham Street and Lemay Avenue to Cathy Fromme Prairie Natural Area. The move, which was privately funded, was coordinated by the Prairie Dog Coalition.

Moving prairie dogs takes time, money and a lot of planning, including preparing a receiving site in advance with underground nests for the new residents. But it can be done successfully, supporters say.

The catch is finding places to relocate prairie dogs. Private property owners typically don’t want them; neither do managers of public lands. They can cause a lot of damage and spread to places they are not wanted, such as neighboring properties.

Prospect/College eminent domain issue still unresolved

Fort Collins Natural Areas staff members were reluctant to accept relocated prairie dogs at Cathy Fromme Prairie, but finally relented.

They are becoming more open-minded about accepting animals — under the right circumstances — at the wide-open spaces of Soapstone Prairie Natural Area and Meadow Springs Ranch near the Wyoming border.

Changes in city code and policies will not save the life of every prairie dog that’s in the way of development.

But the changes might give animals a better chance of survival, especially with so many human advocates ready to take their side.

Kevin Duggan is a Coloradoan senior reporter. Follow him on Twitter @coloradoan_dugg and on Facebook at Coloradoan Kevin Duggan.