Successes

The Colorado Prairie Heritage Resolution

The Colorado Senate voted 23 to 6 (almost an 80% margin) on April 30, 2009 for Prairie Preservation Alliance’s Colorado Prairie Heritage Resolution. The Resolution now heads to the House for a reading. Rep. McKinley is the House sponsor.

Thanks to everyone who supported us on this long road to victory. A special thanks to Sen. Schwartz and Capitol Success Group who made it all happen. We have achieved an important milestone toward protection and awareness of the shortgrass prairie. Our Colorado Senators publicly agreed that the eastern third of the state must be protected for a multitude of reasons: wildlife habitat, our heritage, natural resources, recreation, and more.

Prairie dog from the Kennedy Soccer Fields project

Kennedy Soccer Complex

After months of digging, assembling panels, erecting gates and silt construction barriers, landscaping, clearing trash, trapping prairie dogs, and coordinating the many other facets of the project, our mighty team of volunteers succeeded in implementing a solution to keep prairie dogs, rabbits, and associated wildlife at Kennedy safe. These native prairie species now have a home free from disturbance where visitors from the nearby golf course and soccer fields have the opportunity to view a functioning ecosystem. It's not uncommon to observe a coyote searching for lunch or a bald eagle soaring above in hopes of catching a prairie dog off-guard.

Forty-four prairie dogs were trapped from soccer field areas and released into one of the 19 manufactured burrows. Tall vegetation was clipped to allow the prairie dogs to see predators. A metal fence was constructed and black silt barrier material was erected to contain the prairie dogs in their new habitat.

The project began as a vision in the PPA boardroom 18 months ago. Kennedy Soccer and Golf Complexes are north of I-225 across from Cherry Creek State Park in south Denver. We presented our vision to members of the Denver Parks and Recreation Department, and they immediately agreed to work with us to achieve the goal. Many volunteers from the community, including grade school through high school students, office work groups, and members of the Denver Sheriff Department's Juvenile Work Program, gave their time and expertise to establish a partnership that resulted in the accomplishments we see today.

Great Western Reservoir Project, Broomfield

During the summer of 2004, the 1200-foot Great Western Barrier was constructed. A determined crew persevered despite rocky and hilly ground, prickly pear and yucca everywhere, and weather that brought heat at times and flooding at others. Now a barrier is in place to ensure that the native wildlife (prairie dogs, cottontails, and others) are prevented from wandering out of Broomfield's protected open space and into neighboring private property.

Broomfield barrier

The barrier is on the north side of Broomfield's 485-acre shortgrass prairie preserve, home to coyotes, many species of hawks, and at least two pairs of burrowing owls. As soon as weather permits, PPA will work with Kristan Pritz and Pete Dunlaevy from Broomfield Open Space and Trails to plant vegetation that enhances the look of the barrier.

Prairie Dog Relocation on BLM Land

In August 2004, PPA volunteers joined Paula Martin, members of the Sierra Club, and members of the local community to relocate white-tailed prairie dogs from private land near Grand Junction to BLM land outside the city. White-tails are smaller than black-tails, and their colonies are less dense (probably because the vegetation in the areas they inhabit is more sparse and the climate is more severe). To accommodate the differences, they go into hibernation near the end of summer.

This was the first time BLM managers allowed prairie dogs to be released on BLM land, and we were thrilled to be a part of this project!