A vast majority of people recently surveyed don’t want to see dogs banned from Longmont’s Button Rock Preserve, even though canines have been at the root of some of the overuse problems at the popular recreation site.
Actually poop they and their owners leave behind is the culprit, say city officials.
City Councilwoman Polly Christensen said Wednesday that a park ranger once disclosed he cleaned up 250 pounds of dog waste a day at Button Rock.
“If he hadn’t said that how would we know this was a problem,” Christensen told members of the Sustainability Advisory Board during a virtual meeting Wednesday. “But this is the effect dogs have.”
City council in 2018 passed an interim rule allowing only one leashed dog per person at Button Rock.
But Christensen and 64% of 829 people who answered a dog-specific question on the third and final community survey on the future of the 3,000-acre Button Rock Preserve, indicated banning all dogs from the nature area goes a little too far.
“We all love dogs, and we eliminated all but one dog per person,” she said. “And now we are talking about eliminating all dogs?”
The survey, available online between May 6 and Aug. 2, attracted 831 respondents and 131 people included written comments, said Danielle Levine, a project manager and volunteer coordinator with Longmont Parks, Open Space and Trails. It is part of an effort that began last to create a management plan for the Preserve.
Answers were not required on all questions, so some respondents skipped some questions, Levine said.
Button Rock Preserve Manage... by Julie Baxter on Scribd
Respondents were asked: “Research indicates that when humans are accompanied by dogs, both on and off trail, their area of influence (noise, scent. trash) increases significantly, impacting wildlife behavior and movement. How would you feel if a no dog policy was instituted?”
Of the 829 responses, 64% strongly disagreed with a no-dog policy, according to the survey results presented Wednesday. Twenty-five percent strongly agreed while 11% neither agreed or disagreed, according to the survey.
The survey asked other questions about parking, limiting the number of visitors, and eliminating fishing permits and fees at the recreation area. The preserve is home to Longmont and Ralph Price reservoirs, and a section of North St. Vrain Creek runs through its eastern section.
Usage at Button Rock, as in other recreation areas, has climbed since the COVID-19 outbreak, as people look to get outdoors and away from stay-at-home orders, according to city officials. But recreation areas also are being damaged due to overuse.
“(The) number of visitors and cars have increased at Button Rock this year when comparing counts from the same months last year,” Levine said via email last month. “This was especially true in late spring and early summer when more other things were closed down around the Front Range.”
A resounding majority of respondents to the survey — 72% — said they would not ride a shuttle to and from Button Rock.
Another 48% strongly disagreed with a city recommendation that eliminates the Button Rock permit and fee beginning in 2021. Once in effect, anglers will only need to carry a state license, instead of both a Button Rock permit and a state license.
Also, 55% agreed with a staff recommendation to limit overall visitor numbers by charging a fee on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
The survey will be presented to the city council for review and possible action, Levine said.
A draft of the Button Rock management plan is slated to be complete in December.
