Sending good energy for you and your family to be healthy and well.

City Council Meets tomorrow evening - Tues March 31.  Can you take 2 minutes to send them an email?

Because of support, Boulder City Council and even the Chancellor of CU are talking about a new proposed Open Space immediately south of Boulder- getting even this far was thought to be impossible just a year ago.

Now is the time to create our win! Can you take 2 minutes to help create a new Boulder Open Space by sending an email to City Council and the Open Space Board?

This is urgent because hard and fast decisions are going to be made at City Council over the next 6 weeks. The public may not be able to attend these meetings yet the decisions will last our lifetimes.

In April and May 2020 Boulder City Council is going to:

• vote whether to bulldoze sensitive wetlands and build a massive $66 million dollar 30 foot tall, half mile long concrete dam - at the request of the University of Colorado - starting in the protected S. Boulder Creek State Natural area. Yes - exactly where the majestic elk above is standing.
  OR
• Council will vote to create CU North on dry land. CU North will provide affordable housing and modern classrooms. 
• The CU North land swap proposed by the City will also allow for the creation of the remarkable Meadowlark Open Space at CU South to protect special Colorado wetland habitat that is home to rare and beautiful wildlife and plant species.

Please, if at all possible take 2 minutes - urgently right now - to copy and paste the email below and send to Boulder City Council. Feel free to add your own words.

Thank you for making a difference!

Ken

Ken J. Beitel
Chair of Wilderness Conversation
proposed Meadowlark Open Space
web: www.MeadowlarkOpenSpace.org
e. meadowlarkopenspace@gmail.com   m. 720 436 2465

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Send Email to: (copy/paste below) 
council@bouldercolorado.gov, OSBT-Web@bouldercolorado.gov, meadowlarkopenspace@gmail.com
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Honorable Mayor Sam Weaver and City Council Members,

Thank you in advance for voting to create CU North and the proposed Meadowlark Open Space at CU South.

Why am I making this important request of you?

It is because protecting people and key wetlands habitat can be done better, cheaper and faster if the Meadowlark Open Space and CU North are created by your vote.

Here is what I mean.

BETTER - Creation of CU North and the Meadowlark Open Space means:

protection of environmentally sensitive wetlands and tall grass prairie meadows at the new Meadowlark Open Space and adjacent S. Boulder Creek State Natural Area.

Safer flood control that provides resilient, ecosystem friendly and climate change protection. Natural wetlands, ponds and low earthen berms will be used instead of a massive 30 foot tall concrete dam scraped to bedrock built in a protected state natural area. 

If climate change worsens, it will be cost effective to upgrade an ecosystem based flood control system that is built for 100 year flood protection. 

But, a monolithic 30 foot tall, half mile long concrete dam that provides only 100 year flood control will likely be too expensive to ever change. As climate change worsens, a fixed concrete dam puts downstream lives at risk in the short and long term. 

Houston has had three 500 year floods in the last three years. We need flexibility to increase strength of flood control protection in the future.
Being built on dry land, CU North will feature ample affordable housing and modern classroom buildings.

CHEAPER

Cost: $66 million- CU South - is the taxpayer cost to protect downstream neighbors AND University of Colorado parking lots and buildings if built in the CU South wetlands and flood plain

Cost: $22 million - CU North + Meadowlark Open Space - is the cost for taxpayers to rigorously protect downstream neighbors and create natural flood control that enhances habitat value within the new Meadowlark Open Space. 

The proposed Boulder City Council land swap will provide Planning Reserve land to the University of Colorado, at no charge, for CU North. It's a win-win.

FASTER

The people of Boulder love our Open Space and protected State Natural Areas. 

It is possible that construction of a massive concrete dam in critical wildlife habitat protected by Endangered Species Legislation may be delayed for many years by potential taxpayer, conservation and community protests, national documentary and news media attention and potential legal considerations.

However, a Yes vote for CU North and the Meadowlark Open Space brings the community together and provides the highest level of flood protection.

City Council and city engineers will have the full support of community and environment groups to rapidly implement safe, effective wetlands ecosystem based flood control that will rigorously protect downstream neighbors. 

Volunteers, families and young people from community and environment groups will work together with the City in wetlands restoration projects at the new Meadowlark Open Space and celebrate our success together. The community will be healed and whole once more.

Mayor Weaver and City Council, thank you sincerely for taking action in April 2020 that will protect our community and our environment.

And thank you for voting Yes on Tues May 19, 2020 to create CU North and the remarkable Meadowlark Open Space.

With deep appreciation,

( place your name here )