Posts tagged Open Space
Boulder County’s new prairie dog town?
Oct 28th
The Boulder County Parks and Open Space will hold a public tour of a proposed prairie dog relocation site at Rabbit Mountain Open Space from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 1.
Wildlife biologists and rangers will meet the public at the Rabbit Mountain trailhead on North 53rd Street (north of Hwy 66) at 4 p.m. Vans will shuttle everyone to the proposed relocation site.
The department has submitted an application to the Colorado Division of Wildlife proposing to relocate prairie dogs from a county-owned agricultural property in the Longmont area to Rabbit Mountain sometime between Nov. 14 and Dec. 2.
Prior to issuing a permit, the Colorado Division of Wildlife is reviewing the proposal which includes a site assessment, evaluating a management plan submitted for the receiving site, and reviewing all public comments.
For those unable to attend the tour, written comments can be emailed to wildlife@bouldercounty.org. The deadline for written comments is Nov. 3.
For further information about this public tour, contact Education & Outreach Coordinator Pascale Fried at pfried@bouldercounty.org or 303-678-6201.
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Mark Gelband Platform for Boulder City Council
Aug 29th
I am proud to announce my candidacy for November’s Boulder City Council election. Thanks to all of you who quickly stepped up and signed my petition to get on the ballot. The real work begins now. We have eight short weeks to get the message out and your emotional, organizational, and financial support is critical to my success. Boulder needs a new voice on council. There is a growing chasm between the city’s aging leadership and the young families, young professionals, creative class and students who represent the future of Boulder.
Perhaps, some of you are thinking: Why did I receive this e-mail when I don’t live in Boulder, don’t know your platform, or don’t even know you all that well?
The easy answer is that I am reaching out to folks with whom I have felt a connection in my life. Whether you live in Boulder or not, I can still benefit greatly from your financial support, if you can afford the contribution and believe in me personally or in my vision for the city. Detailed contribution information is included at the end of this e-mail.
For those of you who need more information before committing your support, here are the critical issues that constitute my platform.
Open Space Access
The aging hippies currently running the show look nothing like the younger, progressive versions of themselves that supported citizen initiatives to create the Blue Line in 1959 and the Open Space program in 1967. We owe them for their past foresight, but their vision today is nothing like it once was. They’ve recently begun a campaign to “reclaim” shared recreational land with the mindset that we are loving nature “to death .” Current Council is prejudiced against dog owners and mountain bikers, with an anti-recreation mentality. Much of the open space we have all paid for is off-limits, with little or no access. Open Space is house poor with 47% of its budget spent on debt service. Why are we buying land in neighboring Jefferson County when we cannot even maintain the most precious resources outside our door? We need to refocus our priorities and better manage our open space, but the solution is not to deny access to the many people who have chosen Boulder as their home for its recreational opportunities.
Core City Services
Current council is challenged to manage a single council meeting, let alone the breadth of our core city services. We currently have a $700,000,000 dollar backlog in deferred maintenance projects and, yet, these folks seem to prioritize efforts such as prairie dog relocation, the minute alteration of snow shoveling ordinances to which they themselves are unable to adhere, and endless pontification about Arizona’s Immigration laws. We need leaders who will fix our potholed streets, who will plow side streets in the winter so that children can safely get to school, and who will address the traffic problems around town, libraries, public safety, decaying infrastructure and the growing homeless problem.
Homelessness
Boulder bears a disproportionate share of the county’s homeless problem. The county homeless shelter is in the city, and the city has become a “convention center” for chronic vagrancy and associated crime. We need to distinguish the working poor and the transitionally homeless in our community, and to ensure that they are first in line to receive the resources to help feed and clothe them, get them jobs and into affordable housing. But let’s confront chronic vagrancy head-on by actually enforcing the existing loitering, panhandling and public intoxication laws that are already on the books.
Overregulation
People in glass houses should not overregulate. Current Council “manages” meetings by restricting public input; this limiting approach to community involvement is just the tip of the iceberg. The council has now spent several decades implementing solutions in search of problems. As the city regulates and regulates and regulates, it continues to squeeze the working class. Their growing list of regulations is hurting those of us least able to afford it. For example, the city has 100 of 10,000 homes that are larger than 5,000 square feet (50% of them built prior to 1940) and, yet, our council has spent countless hours in the last few years developing an onerous, inflexible McMansion ordinance that has only served to ‘handcuff’ young families interested in expansion without relocation. The council’s “obsession” with controlling individual choices in the absence of a viable long-term city plan has led to a scary sort of Big Brother government.
I am interested in hearing your thoughts on the key issues that are facing Boulder and about proactive paths toward solutions. If you are unable to support me financially, maybe you would consider hosting a meet-and-greet, spreading the word about my candidacy, putting a yard sign up, or simply sending the campaign some good energy.
If you are in a position to help financially, Boulder campaign finance reform limits individual contributions to $100 per person. If you have a husband, wife or partner, and can contribute more than $25, it helps to receive two checks, one from each of you. This allows me to better access city matching funds, should I choose to go that route. I am currently working on a campaign website and should have it finished in the coming week or so. Until that time, I can only accept checks – payable to:
Gelband for Council – A Good Sign
Please mail checks to 505 College Ave, Boulder, CO 80302.
If you live locally and want to donate to my campaign, call me at 303-522-1192 and we can meet. Same limits and rules apply to locals.
August 5 is Deadline to Register for August 9 Boulder County Farm Tour
Jul 28th
What: Boulder County Cropland Policy Farm Tour
When: Tuesday, August 9, 5:15 p.m.
Registration Deadline: August 5, $5 per person, at http://agtours.eventbrite.com/
Where: Boulder County Fairgrounds, 9595 Nelson Road, Longmont
The tour will depart from the Boulder County Fairgrounds north parking lot at 9595 Nelson Road in Longmont. Participants must arrive by 5:15 p.m. to check in. Buses will leave promptly at 5:30.
The Cropland Policy will outline the guiding principles that county staff will use to make management decisions on open space properties managed as cropland. Defining these principles will streamline decision-making processes during planning and clarify the goals of the cropland program for tenants and residents.
Tour participants will learn about agricultural production systems and the issues, challenges and opportunities particular to Boulder County open space lands. The tours highlight different farms, representing field and forage crops, vegetable crops and livestock.
Guests will travel in air-conditioned buses equipped with restrooms and an audio system. Drinks and snacks will be provided. Participants should bring a water bottle, wear sturdy shoes and dress appropriately for the weather. The tours are not recommended for children under 12. Participating farmers will be available to answer questions.
For more information, please contact Agricultural Resource Specialist Meaghan Huffman at 303-678-6181 or agriculture@bouldercounty.org.