work order/Prairie Dogs

From: Dan Kopelman
Sent: Thursday, September 03, 2009 10:59 PM
Subject: FW:  work order/Prairie Dogs

Nicole,

I am Dan Kopelman, Secretary for the  HOA.  This communication is CCd to our board and association manager, but expresses my personal opinion only. If they are in agreement or wish to comment, I would encourage it

I have to seriously question Mr. Poole's assessment of the situation, "Some of the colony has started to move onto the Eco Park property." In order for it to be true, the prairie dogs would have had to originate in someone's yard, then migrated from within the HOA property to the County and Park land. I have observed, on a weekly basis, the opposite in that the colony has gone from one or two holes to many more in just a few months (coinciding with the increased rain fall).

The only conclusion can be that either they were dumped into our land-locked property, or they migrated through County property into our area. In either case, we have begun to take action to eliminate the rodents and we were hoping, and expecting, to enroll the cooperation of the county to prevent further migration into our property for health and safety purposes.

As for the plague, once the colony gets plague, the problem resolves itself and they all die. The issue is they CARRY and transmit plague which is in Colorado and has been since the 1940's.  Our community has both pets and children and the HOA is exercising its responsibility by addressing this problem. As taxpayers, we EXPECT cooperation from ALL public entities.

Jim and Norm,

We, as a community, do not expect the County or the  district to pay for removal from the HOA property, however, we do expect appropriate, responsible actions to be taken to protect the public, and will not accept Mr. Poole's assessment that we generated the problem. Such an assessment is demonstrably absurd.

I have included some information on the plague as posted by Denver (the highlights are showing the search terms used, I don't know, or care if these are black-tailed or anything other than just prairie dogs):

PLAGUE, BLACK-TAILED PRAIRIE DOGS, AND HUMANS
Plague is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium, Yersinia pestis. All forms of plague in wild animals are generally referred to as sylvatic plague. Plague was inadvertently introduced from Asia into the North American prairie ecosystem around 1900. It is now found in 76 species of mammals, but it is primarily a disease of wild rodents other than black-tailed prairie dogs.
Plague has had a direct negative effect on the black-tailed prairie dog. This disease may be the most important factor in the recent reduction of black-tailed prairie dog populations across their range. In black-tailed prairie dogs, the plague was first documented in a colony near Lubbock, Texas, in 1946. Plague has been active in black-tailed prairie dog populations in the northern Great Plains only within the last decade although it was present 40-50 years ago. The disease appears to be spreading to encompass the entire range of the species. Plague is not widespread throughout the west because of the prairie dog. The disease is maintained in other wildlife species and periodically devastates black-tailed prairie dog populations; recent population losses due to plague have been observed in Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, Texas, Arizona, and Oklahoma.

At present, sylvatic plague is widespread throughout the western United States, except in South Dakota. It is likely no coincidence that 4 of the largest 7 remaining black-tailed prairie dog complexes are in South Dakota or that approximately 32 percent of all remaining individuals of the species are located in this state. Black-tailed prairie dog populations are extinct in Arizona and are much reduced in the southwestern states (New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah) near the epicenter for more recent sylvatic plague outbreaks.

A plague outbreak in a black-tailed prairie dog colony results in near 100 percent mortality. Black-tailed prairie dogs show neither effective antibodies nor immunity. If there are any survivors, they do not exhibit resistance to plague; surviving animals appear to have avoided death only by the remote chance of avoiding exposure. Although the populations often grow in size after an outbreak, current information suggests they do not reach former levels.

In cases where people have contracted plague, it is usually referred to as bubonic plague. When people contract the disease, it is usually from coming in contact with an infected rodent or their fleas. But, plague can also be transmitted between humans or animals by direct contact (coughing, sneezing, etc.) Dogs are mostly immune to the plague. Cats are extremely susceptible to plague, although the occurrence of plague in cats is very rare. Although extremely rare, cats can pass the disease directly to people. Awareness of the disease and avoidance of close contact with wild rodents and other potential carriers or their fleas is the key to protection.

Though most prairie dogs have fleas, few fleas are infected, and most public health officials believe the chance of humans contracting plague from prairie dog fleas is very low. Apparently, prairie dog fleas do not like human hosts, preferring instead to bite other animal species. Health officials say the biggest risk is in people allowing their pets to run free in the area of prairie dog colonies or other wild rodents. If the fleas are brought into homes, there is an increased risk of the disease spreading to humans. Health officials offer the following tips to avoid plague:
Keep pets on a leash or leave them at home.
Wash pets with shampoo and treat with a flea powder.
Avoid areas where there are rodents.
Use insect repellent on exposed skin.

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From: Norman
Sent: Thursday, September 03, 2009 9:38 PM
To: Dan Kopelman
Subject: Re: work order/Prairie Dogs

Dan, here is what Arapahoe County replied with.  Please let me know if I can be of further assistance.  By the way, the County does own that property.

norm
From: Nicole
Sent: Wednesday, September 02, 2009 9:56 AM
Subject: RE: PJMD prairie dog issue
Thanks Dawne.  Your summary pretty much covered it all.
Glen Poole took a look at the prairie dog colony in question and saw that about 90% of the colony is located on the HOA owned property  (just east of the Eco park property line).  Some of the colony has started to move onto the Eco Park property.
Glen does have some different contacts for the HOA if they are interested in the removal of the colony.  The County could only share in the cost of the portion that is on the County’s property, not on the HOA’s property.
Glen does not believe the prairie dogs have the plague but would only know for sure if they were tested.  He believes that Tri County can do the necessary testing and he believes that Tri County may even do this service for free, but he is not sure.
Please let me know if you need anything else.
Nicole, RLA Project Leader


On 8/27/09 9:23 PM, "Dan Kopelman" ; wrote:

Norm,
It appears that the  Ecological park is being overrun with prairie dogs (plague and all). They have spread to our HOA property too and need to be mitigated for both health and safety reasons. Can we count on the cooperation of the district in eliminating this infestation?
Thank you for your consideration,
Dan Kopelman