Protect Boulder Dogs' Freedom on Open Space

From Boulder FIDOS and B4ROS:

Help me continue playing on Boulder trails

Boulder City Council will meet to have the first reading of OSMP’s extreme proposed Green Tag program changes on Wednesday, March 5th.

Please attend to show your support for your fellow dog guardians, and to show your opposition to the proposed green tag program changes. You're asked to come to the meeting wearing your dog leash, to plan to speak at the meeting and/or write to the Council members at council@bouldercolorado.gov.

Here are some talking points for a speech or letter recommended by FIDOS (Friends Interested in Dogs and Open Space and B4ROS (Boulder for Reasonable Open Space) to oppose OSMP’s extreme proposed changed to the Green Tag program. I have copied all of the following verbatim:

1) OSMP is unnecessarily attempting to punish the majority of dog guardians for the infractions of a few.
2) OSMP’s proposed changes are unfair. OSMP has gone over the top in targeting the single user group of dog guardians with these costly, complex, and excessively punitive proposals.
3) Regarding offenses such as one strike loss of Green Tag for chasing wildlife, or two strike loss of Green Tag if your dog does not come IMMEDIATELY when called --- No other user group faces loss of open space privileges for committing any offenses on or off of open space. Climbers do not lose open space privileges if they violate a seasonal raptor closure. Mountain bikers do not lose open space privileges for biking on a trail closed to bikers. Hikers do not lose open space privileges for hiking on closed trails, or for creating social trails. People do not lose open space privileges for harassing wildlife while trying to take that perfect photograph. Dog guardians should not be unfairly targeted with the harsh punishments outlined in OSMP’s proposals, which would even include Green Tag loss for a single offense of chasing a squirrel into a tree - on Open Space land or anywhere in the city of Boulder.
4) The $734,000 price tag, for just the first year, needed to implement OSMP’s proposed Green Tag Program changes, then followed by a $135,000 ongoing annual cost, is too high. This money could perhaps be better spent on building new trails.
5) Historically, Boulder has always been a dog friendly place. Just look at the picture in the 1967 first Open Space tax poster. If we don’t allow dogs proper off-leash access, only the wealthy, who can afford acres of land, will have this privilege. This culture of dog friendliness has been eroding gradually, and now there is another OSMP proposal to introduce a much more restrictive and controlled environment, with a complex set of rules and punitive regulations. Dogs are family members. Dogs need to run and to exercise. Dogs benefit us all by making us lead healthier lifestyles.

Maddie loves to run on Boulder trails

OSMP has used your tax dollars to prepare and fund unnecessary changes to the Voice and Sight program. These changes will have only 'social' impact (memo to council 6/18/13), designed solely to reduce dog related 'conflict' on open space. This perceived conflict is supported by carefully designed studies paid for by OSMP to counter previous studies conducted by CU.

Voice and Sight dog guardians will face increased fees, penalties and revocation of V&S open space access as well as DUI style re-education for an enhanced range of infractions. No other open space user cohort is governed by regulation of this scope and magnitude.

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