Officials To Block
Others' Prairie Dogs

LAMAR, Colo. —(AP)— Prowers County officials aren't buying a Boulder group's plan to relocate prairie dogs evicted from the Front Range by development to Colorado's southeastern plains.

A proposed county ordinance calls for a $600 fine against any person, entity or firm for each prairie dog brought into the county and allowed to run at large on public or private land.

"We are, in fact, saying that you can't bring prairie dogs into Prowers County," County Commission Chairman John Stulp said last week. "It's not like we want to get into a spitting contest with Front Range lawyers, but we do think we have certain abilities to limit things like this from coming in."

Prairie dogs carry the plague and their burrows pose leg-injury hazards to livestock.

The commission will vote on the question Jan. 20.

What fired up the commissioners was Colorado Prairie Preserve of Boulder's purchase of 1200 acres in neighboring Baca County to use as habitat for those evicted prairie dogs.

"Hopefully, it is a pre-emptive type of thing — that we are dealing with it before we get into a situation where someone has invested a great deal of money in some land," Stulp said.

Baca County commissioners passed a resolution last month expressing strong disapproval of the Boulder group's plan and urging the Colorado Division of Wildlife to deny any application to move prairie dogs to their county.