Superior maps prairie-dog burrows as officials weigh barriers and broader plan
Mapping will identify burrows and property ownership near Sagamore, McCaslin and Coal Creek Crossing; a $130,000 barrier quote exceeds current funds, while a broader plan remains under discussion.
Superior staff are mapping prairie-dog burrows near Sagamore, McCaslin and Coal Creek Crossing after residents reported animals moving into town open space. The town has not confirmed how many burrows or properties are affected or which government owns each site.
At a July 8 Open Space Advisory Committee meeting, staff said some Sagamore burrows were within 15 feet of homes and that prairie dogs had breached town space behind the neighborhood. The mapping will determine which burrows are on town or Boulder County property, staff said, before the town decides how to address those on town land.
Staff said the town may need partial barriers along McCaslin and behind Sagamore. A metal barrier along the long McCaslin stretch was estimated at about $130,000, which staff said the town cannot currently afford; a less expensive design may be considered.
At Coal Creek Crossing, staff said a chicken-wire fence installed last year had been breached in several places, did not cover the entire area and had an opening at a gate. The committee discussed monitoring and repairs, as well as trapping prairie dogs on one side for relocation to the other. Staff said trapping would require a Colorado Parks and Wildlife permit and neither option would be quick.
The committee also discussed whether to replace or expand the town’s 2005 Prairie Dog Management Plan and current playbook. A broader document could address recurring mapping and inventories, relocation and lethal-control rules, responsibilities on public and private land, and public education. Committee members said the 2005 plan was written for earlier conditions and no longer covers the town’s current conflicts.
No new plan was commissioned or adopted. The discussion called for reviewing the 2005 document and outlining a broader plan; outside expertise could be considered later. The meeting agenda listed expanding the Prairie Dog Playbook as a discussion item but records no vote, appropriation or funding source.
Staff are expected to continue mapping and report back to the committee and Sagamore neighbors. The number of sites, ownership and responsibility for each, the feasibility of a lower-cost barrier and any funding for a broader plan remain unresolved.