DOW continues quest for new research site

By Linda Bell

The Colorado Division of Wildlife recently modified tactics to find a new location for its Foothills Wildlife Research Facility.

Instead of concentrating solely on relocating to the lower unit of the 28,000-acre Cherokee State Wildlife Area, the state agency has decided to also look into buying private land in the Livermore area.

However, Tom Remington, terrestrial section manager for the DOW, said there is no urgency to move the current facility away from Fort Collins. He also acknowledged that SWAs are "really not appropriate for a research facility."

A brewing clash between the DOW and Livermore residents over putting a research facility in the Cherokee SWA was somewhat assuaged by a community open house at the end of September.

Rumors of digesters, incinerators, a chronic wasting disease tissue sampling laboratory, Homeland Security involvement or a zoo were mostly dispelled during the open house when residents had the opportunity to speak with those involved in the proposed relocation of the facility.

Larimer County Commissioner Kathay Rennels, a Livermore resident, hosted the gathering in response to constituent concerns.

The current research facility at the west side of Fort Collins is a 35-acre complex used for conducting a variety of captive wildlife research projects important to improving management and well-being of Colorado's wildlife. Activities include a decade of chronic wasting disease research. Expanded research now involves elk, pronghorn, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, mountain lions, waterfowl, grouse, prairie dogs and turkeys. The facility has one permanent and 10 to 12 temporary employees.

There are 16 paddocks of one to five acres, 22 small pens of less than an acre, 12 isolation pens and one carnivore enclosure. A CWD tissue sampling laboratory at the present location will not be moved because the DOW is winding down its CWD research, according to Mike Miller, DOW senior wildlife veterinarian and manager of the FWRF. New research focuses on respiratory illness in bighorn sheep, he said.

Miller explained that a few years ago he requested a lot of money for needed improvements and rebuilding of the current site located on land leased from Colorado State University. The lease runs through 2033.

Various DOW officials started questioning why so much money should be allocated to a location that is already clearly too small, doesn't provide the best habitat for the animals, and is on leased land, Miller said.

In addition, adverse publicity about some research projects and their theoretical implications for the safety of Fort Collins' drinking water caused public concern about the location of the FWRF adjacent to water treatment facilities.

The DOW started looking at other options that could provide both expansion room and optimal conditions for animals in the research paddocks, including conditions closely replicating their natural environment, Miller said.

The Division hired EDAW Inc., an international environmental planning company with offices in Fort Collins. Its preliminary report dated March 30 evaluated 11 proposed sites, all on public land, with detailed evaluation of six properties. The primary objectives in identifying a new location were that it be not more than 40 minutes from Fort Collins, have at least 200 acres with 20 acres suitable for buildings and parking, have limited or no existing or future land-use conflicts, be close to a maintained road, be sheltered from weather and noise, have diverse vegetation and topography, and be buffered from residential and other incompatible land uses.

By September the DOW had rejected all the proposed sites, including the top six, and focused on the Cherokee State Wildlife Area. It was not previously considered because it was over the 40-minute drive-time limit. The benefits, according to EDAW's New Site Selection Addendum dated Sept. 27, include DOW ownership, county road access, proximity to utilities, a variety of landscapes, and existing buildings, which include a residence for the unit's technician already at the proposed site.

The DOW's stated policy is to purchase land for conservation of wildlife habitat, to provide public recreation opportunities and to do research on natural resources. The division already has research facilities on some state wildlife areas, including Junction Buttes SWA near Kremmling, Little Hills SWA near Meeker, and temporarily on the Little Snake SWA near Maybell.

The rub for some Livermore residents is that the proposed site is surrounded on three sides by private holdings. T. Wellcome, who lives with her husband and mother near the top of Calloway Hill just east of the proposed facility, said the plan is completely unacceptable to the people and wildlife that already live there.

"Research needs to happen, but not here," Wellcome said. "It will affect the quality of life for all living things and will run off all the natural wildlife in our area. Property values here are all about habitat. And once the DOW gets a foothold it will grow with big plans for other things that will come later."

Wellcome also noted that a state wildlife area is meant to be open to the public for hunting, and this will deny public access in a large portion of it. "They are cannibalizing their own land," she said.

A petition opposing the relocation of the FWRF is reported to have more than 500 signatures. The petition asks the DOW "to immediately and permanently prohibit the relocation of the chronic wasting disease research deer pens from Fort Collins to the pristine Cherokee State Wildlife Area in Livermore."

The petition further states that the Cherokee wildlife area was set aside to protect wildlife and its habitat and to preserve historic sites. In contrast, the petitioners noted, localized contamination from disease research would reduce public access and use of the area. Enjoyment of the area "would be 'permanently' ruined and our health further jeopardized," the petition said.

Jerry Blanz, a Livermore resident of Glacier View Meadows who attended the open house, said he didn't sign the petition because he found it too emotive, if unfortunately predictable. He said after speaking with DOW representatives he is quite enthusiastic about the relocation of the FWRF because it will be better for the animals, foremost. "They'll just be doing the same work in an area much better suited for it," Blanz said.

While EDAW's projected cost of the project is $17 million with a later phase at $5 million, the DOW's Remington said the division can't afford that and is looking at cost savings. He said an obvious one, besides land ownership at the Cherokee SWA site, is that all the outbuildings and shops currently on the property can substitute for building new ones at another site.

Remington said EDAW also built into its cost estimates items mandated for federal facilities, like "art in public places" and "blacktop paving on all road surfaces." At present, Remington said, the division is looking to spend from $3 million to $5 million on the first-phase relocation. In the past, funding for capital/research projects like these have come from CDOW game cash alone or in combination with a federal excise tax on sporting arms and ammunition reapportioned back to the states, he said.

The issue of water also has to be resolved, Remington noted. "We have permits to drill, but at an estimated cost of $100,000 to $230,000 per exploratory well we have decided to do the required review with the county planning office first before we disturb any dirt."

The resulting plan should also provide the public with a "virtual" image of how the footprint will look on the site, including fencing, roads and buildings, he said.

Regarding the possibility of contamination from the site, Miller said he began practicing "biocontainment" at the existing facility long before anyone else thought it might be necessary, and he will continue to be proactive in this.

"It will be critical to the research to keep our animals away from outside influences, so double and at times triple fencing will be necessary," he said. "The bighorn we bring to the facility will be in much better shape than the local herd."

The point of doing the research at all is to find ways to improve overall health in wild herds, Miller said.

Wastewater at the current FWRF site is either stored in sealed vaults for proper disposal at licensed waste management facilities, Miller said, or re-used on site, depending on origin. Animal waste, manure and leftover feed are composted on site and the resulting compost is used to reseed animal paddocks. All carcasses from the FWRF are disposed of through proper DOW facilities, he said.

Miller said the DOW wants to work with the public to minimize the facility's impact to the community, build to blend in and be responsive to environmental issues like night lighting.