Boulder animal abuse & cruelty
Jul 20th
Boulder Police Department partners with Crime Stoppers to curb animal abuse & cruelty
City residents who want to report animal cruelty now have a new option, in addition to reporting the incident to police. The Boulder Police Department is partnering with Crime Stoppers to allow people to report anonymous tips about concerns, such as abuse or neglect, dog fighting and other inhumane activities involving dogs, cats or horses.
City residents who want to report animal cruelty now have a new option, in addition to reporting the incident to police. The Boulder Police Department is partnering with Crime Stoppers to allow people to report anonymous tips about concerns, such as abuse or neglect, dog fighting and other inhumane activities involving dogs, cats or horses.
Before now, there was no specific program for animal cruelty to be reported through anonymous tips in Colorado. Crime Stoppers will offer this anonymous tip service indefinitely, and anyone in Colorado is free to use it.
Tips can be reported via phone or text messaging. Concerned residents may call 720-913-7867 or they may text a message to CRIMES (274637). Those using the text message option should title their message “DMCS” (Denver Metro Crime Stoppers).
Anyone suspecting that dogs, cats or horses are being abused or neglected are encouraged to call Crime Stoppers if they would prefer to make an anonymous report. The Boulder Police Department’s Animal Control Division is also available to take reports and to respond. A call to police may result in a more immediate response. The non-emergency dispatch number for BPD is 303-441-3333. As always, please call 9-1-1 if there is an emergency.
Crime Stoppers tips are guaranteed to be anonymous, and there is a potential reward of up to $2,000.00 if the animal abuse tip results in a summons or arrest.
Goats to help restore threatened Open Space grassland
Jul 18th
“The tallgrass prairie habitat along this trail is rare worldwide, and right now it’s threatened by the spread of chicory that has built up over past years,” said Laurie Deiter, OSMP restoration ecologist and Integrated Pest Management specialist. “Goats are one tool against these invasive plants because they prefer to eat woody plants like chicory and leave the tender native grasses.”
Deiter added that using goats means that OSMP does not resort to chemical control. She said that OSMP also plans on using cattle grazing and prescribed burning in years to come to finish what the goats start.
The leash requirement is necessary to keep the goats safe. There will be a person staying on site throughout the period, keeping an eye on the goats, moving them from one area to another and providing them with water.
“We want to thank the public in advance for complying with this temporary change in regulations. This cooperation is necessary to make these restoration efforts successful,” said Eric Stone, OSMP division manager.
SmartRegs by the numbers: city to offer additional cash rebates; exceeds compliance benchmarks
Jul 18th
The current numbers indicate that the city has exceeded its first-year benchmarks for SmartRegs compliance. Complete SmartRegs implementation data is expected to be shared with the City Council at a study session on Tuesday, Aug. 23.
Residential Sustainability Coordinator Megan Cuzzolino says that the EnergySmart program has played a huge part in getting property owners in the door.
“It creates an easy and affordable path to compliance,” said Cuzzolino. “With so many rebates available, an Energy Advisor to walk owners through the process and free installation of energy-efficiency devices that count toward compliance, it only makes sense to take advantage of these opportunities.”
Beginning Aug. 1 the City of Boulder will offer additional rebates of up to $500 for rental properties working toward compliance. These rebates are provided on a first-come, first-served basis and are in addition to EnergySmart and other government/utility rebates.
The SmartRegs compliance path through EnergySmart provides a Home Energy Assessment for $120. The assessment includes:
· A licensed SmartRegs inspector who will visit rental property(ies) and complete the prescriptive checklist for property owners;
· Expert guidance and recommendations from a personal Energy Advisor to help make decisions on the most cost-effective energy efficiency measures; and
· Assistance with rebate paperwork and contractor selection.
The SmartRegs ordinances, which require all rental housing in Boulder to meet a basic energy efficiency standard by 2019, went into effect on Jan. 3.
For more information about SmartRegs, including new city rebate details, visit www.bouldercolorado.gov/smartregs.
To sign up for EnergySmart, call 303-544-1000 or visit www.EnergySmartYES.com for more information.
