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Neighbors urge council to preserve Dry Creek Park habitat and question trapping plan
Summary
Residents gave emotional testimony asking the city to protect prairie dogs and natural open space at Dry Creek Park; parks staff said the master plan dates to about 2008, design was targeted for 2025 and construction funding is not yet available.
Anna Rivas described Dry Creek Park as a "Priceless Oasis of Serenity," recounted 21 years of personal experience there and said the city's current trapping and relocation work is effectively a eulogy for that habitat.
Monica Bunting, a public-school teacher, said she was told the park's master plan and amenities date from community engagement around 2007 2009 and a 2014 adoption and that the current trapping effort (conducted by a contractor she named) involves limited daily windows; she said residents believe there are "over 500 prairie dogs" and asked the city to extend the trapping period and to avoid closing burrows immediately when construction funding may be years away.
Parks staff David Bell said the public engagement work for Dry Creek occurred around 2008, that some design work was anticipated for 2025 but there are currently no construction funds, and that the city manages over 100 acres of prairie-dog habitat on lands not slated for removal. Bell said the city is attempting to balance relocation options with uncertain construction timelines and noted partnerships and educational programming at other sites.
No formal park development decision was announced; residents asked council to reexamine the master plan and to consider additional environmental and climate analyses before moving forward with measures that would remove prairie-dog habitat.
