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Pitkin County requests BLM briefing after concerns raised about indiscriminate animal baiting
Summary
Commissioners raised safety and wildlife concerns over reports of a BLM baiting program; they asked staff to draft a letter of concern and invite the local BLM office to brief the county and urged public outreach to warn trail users and medical providers.
Pitkin County commissioners expressed alarm at reports that the Bureau of Land Management may be deploying animal baits that could harm nontarget wildlife, pets and people. Commissioners asked staff to draft a letter raising health and ecological concerns and to invite the local BLM office to brief the county.
"I would like to have it include the threat to all the other carnivores that live in our ecosystems here like badgers and raptors and bears...because the bait is completely indiscriminate," a commissioner said, urging caution and wider outreach to residents and trail users.
Board members asked staff to coordinate with Open Space and Trails on public education materials to warn hikers and pet owners, and to brief first responders and emergency medical providers so they can recognize and treat possible poisonings. Several commissioners recommended an invitational tone in the letter — request BLM staff to explain their approach and timing — while clearly stating the board’s safety concerns.
Staff said they would contact local BLM leadership, draft a letter of concerns paired with an invitation to meet and provide suggested public‑education steps for trails intersecting BLM lands.
