Dog Moratorium on North Foothills Open Space (Hall-Heil)
On February 23, the
Parks and Open Space Advisory Committee
(POSAC) approved staff's recommendation to permanently prohibit dogs at
Hall Ranch and Heil Valley Ranch open space properties.
On March 14, the Board of County Commissioners held a
public hearing to reach a final decision on the dog moratorium for the
North Foothills Open Space Properties. After several hours of public
debate, the Commissioners voted 3-0 in favor of making the ban on dogs
at Hall Ranch and Heil Valley Ranch permanent.
All three of the Commissioners commented on importance
of protecting the biodiversity of these two foothills parks as a basis
for their decision. They also supported continuing research on the
impacts of dogs on trails, specifically how leashed dogs impact wildlife
and ecosystems, and they recognized the importance of exploring
additional recreational opportunities for the residents of Lyons that
will allow dogs.
Staff Memorandum to POSAC (139 KB)
Attachments:
A. The Effects of Dogs on Wildlife Communities, Benjamin Lenth, Colorado
State University, February 2006
B. Map of trails in Boulder County that allow dogs
C. Letter from the Colorado Division of Wildlife
Background
The North Foothills Open Space properties are among the most
biologically diverse areas in Boulder County. The North Foothills Open
Space Management Plan notes that the foothills life zone and ecotone
with the plains is considered rich habitat for mammals. Approximately 60
species of mammal could call the North Foothills Open Space home. This
represents about 70% of all mammal species found in the County. In
addition, a total of 97 potential breeding bird species were observed
during one season’s survey on the North Foothills Open Space. Of this
total, nests or other evidence of breeding was confirmed for 47 species.
This is a primary reason why there has been a dog moratorium on the
North Foothills Open Space properties since in 1997.
In the spring of 1997, the North Foothills Advisory Committee presented
three dog management proposals to the Parks and Open Space Advisory
Committee (POSAC) and the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC). POSAC
voted 9 to 2 in favor of continuing the moratorium until 1999,
completing wildlife studies, and only considering dog access to Hall and
Heil Valley Ranches if a 90% compliance rate was achieved on all Parks
and Open Space (POS) properties. BOCC agreed to aiming for the target
compliance rate, undertaking a public education campaign, increasing
enforcement, completing the Hall Ranch trail systems and continuing
wildlife monitoring before making a definitive ruling on the dog ban.
From 1997 through 2000, POS staff tracked leash compliance, worked
aggressively on a public education initiative, and increased
enforcement.
In 2000, with support from approximately half the North Foothills
Advisory Committee, POSAC approved the permanent implementation of
prohibiting dogs on Hall and Heil Valley ranches. The Board of County
Commissioners (BOCC) extended the dog moratorium for 5 years with the
recommendation that staff continue to study the impacts of dogs on
wildlife and the leash compliance.
For the past 5 years, POS staff has continued to monitor leash
compliance throughout the system, study and track wildlife on these
properties, continue education and enforcement, and survey visitors on
their perspective of the dog moratorium on these properties. POS has
also opened two properties where dogs are permitted off-leash: Reynolds
Ranch and Twin Lakes.
POS staff understands that many citizens of Boulder County and users of
open space value the ability to bring their dogs with them while on open
space property. This is something staff has taken into account in
reviewing the status of the dog moratorium on the North Foothills
property, trying to find a balance between recreation and wildlife.
For more information, please call
(303) 678-6200 or email
Therese Glowacki,
tglowacki@co.boulder.co.us
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