If any one can help, please contact Sandy or Ruby. Thank you.
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Volunteer to Save Prairie Dogs!
I am writing to ask you to volunteer your time to help save prairie dogs at Quail Campus in Longmont.
In June the City of Longmont contracted with Sandy Nervig, a prairie dog consultant, to passively relocate prairie dogs east of the Recreation Center (near Quail Road and Main Street) using Reverse Dispersal Translocation or RDT. Initially these prairie dogs were slated to be killed by the City of Longmont, but Sandy came forward and made a proposal to Longmont city officials to relocate the animals. The City agreed to move forward with her proposal.
The deadline to complete the passive relocation project is September 1, 2011. That leaves just a few weeks to complete the project. With over 100 burrows still to be closed, a huge effort will have to be made to "herd" the prairie dogs to an area north of the Recreation Center. RDT is being used at Quail Campus because it is the only non-lethal option. There are no receiving sites in Boulder County for a wild to wild relocation. RDT is the only non-lethal prairie dog management tool available to save these animals.
For those who aren't familiar with this method, RDT is a non-lethal technique of coaxing prairie dogs to move from burrows located in undesirable areas to burrows in areas where they can live. This is done by stapling a poultry wire flap over the burrow entrance (the prairie dog can get out but not necessarily re-enter the burrow); placing sticks in "X" formation in the burrow; monitoring for activity; and then closing down the burrow once it has been determined the prairie dogs have vacated the burrow. The burrows are closed down in succession until the prairie dogs have been moved to a desirable area.
Sandy is attempting to move prairie dogs across a very long distance - the length of a football field. She is half way there but could use extra help to complete the job.
The following is a list of jobs Sandy needs help with:
a.. Wiring the burrow - this job would entail stapling a 11"X11" poultry wire square to the burrow entrance and placing sticks in X formation inside the burrow.
a.. Cutting wire - this job would entail cutting 11"X11" squares from a roll of 1"poultry wire.
a.. Installation/Removal of dryer vents - this job would entail placing a modified dryer vent into burrows that have continually been breached. Once the prairie dog has vacated the burrow, the dryer vent is removed and the burrow is closed.
a.. Closing burrows - this job would entail filling the inactive burrows with rocks, poultry wire and dirt so that it cannot be re-entered by the prairie dog.
If you would like to volunteer or have questions, Sandy Nervig can be reached at her email address at sandyn@rockin.tv. I can also be reached at my phone number or email address below. This is a very important project and our prairie dogs need your help. I urge you to volunteer!
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Ruby Bowman
rubala@indra.com
(303) 702-1949
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