County approves weed management plan
Boulder County Commissioners approved a controversial weed management plan during a four-hour meeting May 23.
The final plan, with changes from the commissioners incorporated, will be presented and officially adopted at a future business meeting.
The commissioners voted 2-1 in favor of the plan, with Commissioner Ashley Stolzmann opposing and calling it “a big loss for the community.” Stolzmann said she hoped for an herbicide-free plan, and if not that, an organic management plan.
The plan has faced criticism from environmental activists for its use of pesticides and aerial spraying by drone, though it eliminates use of some pesticides and aerial spraying by helicopter. The plan includes a provision to cut herbicide use in half by 2030.
“I don’t think we can take one of the tools for controlling the spread of invasive weeds out of the toolbox,” Commissioner Claire Levy said in the meeting. “And for me, herbicides must be available. But what’s important is to have a truly integrated weed management plan that prioritizes mechanical, cultural and biological tools.”
The plan proposes pilot projects for alternative weed management including goat browsing, hand pulling and expansion of the “Weed Warriors” volunteer program.
Stolzmann said she thought the plan was too similar to the previous plan and felt approval was “ignoring the tremendous amount of public input and feedback to do things differently.”
“If we wanted to show a commitment to doing things differently, we would adopt a no-herbicide plan with a way to do things like this holistically across the approach,” she said. “We could take a regenerative management approach and integrate Indigenous ways. And we’re not doing that.”
Homelessness day services coming in June
Boulder Shelter for the Homeless (BSH) says its 24-hour services are set for a grand opening in mid-June.
The day services center will provide a dedicated space for the unhoused to go during the day — something that hasn’t existed (other than during bad weather) in the city since 2017. City council made a day center a priority at their 2022 retreat. After previous plans for the center at a separate location from the current shelter fell through in July 2023, the city and BSH announced in December 2023 plans for the day center to open in the existing shelter facility.
“This is going to be a chance for us to help a lot more people, in a lot more ways,” the shelter’s chief development and communications officer, Andy Schultheiss, wrote in a fundraising email. “For example, some of the unhoused folks who don’t use our emergency night shelter will finally have a chance to take a shower, do their laundry, and — most important — get on a path to permanent, supported housing, where they can rebuild their lives off the streets.”
The shelter has raised about $30,000 of its $50,000 goal to support its expanded budget by opening day.
In other news…
• The BolderBoulder 10K drew more than 48,000 participants and 100,000 spectators over Memorial Day Weekend. 2024 Olympic qualifier Conner Mantz from Utah won the Elite Men’s division with a time of 29:12 and Kenya’s Grace Loibach Nawowuna won the Elite Women’s division with a time of 32:45. Boulder-based Aidan Reed and Indiana-based Olivia Ballew were the top male and female participants in the citizen race, respectively, with times of 30:02 and 32:12, according to unofficial results. Reporter Will Matuska dashed to the finish line in an hour and a half, snacking on Dorito handouts and shotgunning beers along the way.
• Boulder Mental Health Partners employees voted in favor of unionizing, making it the first unionized mental health and substance use facility in the city, the Daily Camera reports.