Stop the City of Aurora & South Metro Water from digging up newborn foxes in the den!
Stop the City of Aurora & South Metro Water from digging up newborn foxes in the den!
The Issue
SAVE THE FIRST CREEK FOXES
Last month, I went to visit the location of a fox den I’ve been observing for the past several years to see if I could find either of the adult foxes. When I arrived, I noticed survey stakes all over the area including very close to the actual den sites. It’s taken two weeks of searching, but I finally got some answers from Denver Parks & Rec - who recently purchased the land where the dens are located. This is the response I received:
“The stakes in the area are in preparation for construction of Aurora’s sanitary sewer line project. DPR has been coordinating with Aurora and construction is scheduled to begin this week. DPR has informed Aurora about the fox dens and they will be sure to follow proper procedures related to wildlife management and construction. The Aurora project will restore the site once construction is complete”
For those that may not know, foxes breed in January and February, and kits are born in the den sometime in March or April. They don’t venture out of the den until they’re about 5 weeks old, and are weaned from milk by about 10 weeks old. Kits aren’t able to accompany the adults on hunting trips until after they’re weaned. Developing the area during these sensitive times could lead to failure of the litter and permanent eviction from the den site.
With construction scheduled to start this week, this is a huge concern because there could already be newborn kits in the dens. The vixen (mother) may also already be in the den preparing for birth. Excavating the area now would be a death sentence for this year’s litter, and would likely force the foxes to abandon this den site that has been their home for generations.
Time is not on our side. Please take a moment to call or email the City of Aurora planning department & South Metro Recovery and DEMAND that they halt or delay construction of the First Creek Sanitary Sewer project until late May (at the very earliest) to allow the foxes to vacate the den naturally. Help us give this year's kits the best chance at survival and protect the den site for future generations!
City of Aurora - Email: planning@auroragov.org, Phone: 303-739-7250
South Metro Water - Email: info@southmetrowater.org, Phone: 720-216-5158
446
The Issue
SAVE THE FIRST CREEK FOXES
Last month, I went to visit the location of a fox den I’ve been observing for the past several years to see if I could find either of the adult foxes. When I arrived, I noticed survey stakes all over the area including very close to the actual den sites. It’s taken two weeks of searching, but I finally got some answers from Denver Parks & Rec - who recently purchased the land where the dens are located. This is the response I received:
“The stakes in the area are in preparation for construction of Aurora’s sanitary sewer line project. DPR has been coordinating with Aurora and construction is scheduled to begin this week. DPR has informed Aurora about the fox dens and they will be sure to follow proper procedures related to wildlife management and construction. The Aurora project will restore the site once construction is complete”
For those that may not know, foxes breed in January and February, and kits are born in the den sometime in March or April. They don’t venture out of the den until they’re about 5 weeks old, and are weaned from milk by about 10 weeks old. Kits aren’t able to accompany the adults on hunting trips until after they’re weaned. Developing the area during these sensitive times could lead to failure of the litter and permanent eviction from the den site.
With construction scheduled to start this week, this is a huge concern because there could already be newborn kits in the dens. The vixen (mother) may also already be in the den preparing for birth. Excavating the area now would be a death sentence for this year’s litter, and would likely force the foxes to abandon this den site that has been their home for generations.
Time is not on our side. Please take a moment to call or email the City of Aurora planning department & South Metro Recovery and DEMAND that they halt or delay construction of the First Creek Sanitary Sewer project until late May (at the very earliest) to allow the foxes to vacate the den naturally. Help us give this year's kits the best chance at survival and protect the den site for future generations!
City of Aurora - Email: planning@auroragov.org, Phone: 303-739-7250
South Metro Water - Email: info@southmetrowater.org, Phone: 720-216-5158
446
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Petition created on March 8, 2023