As citizens of Louisville, open spaces are our own personal National Parks.  They provide places of solitude. And they give us opportunities to observe the wonder of nature right outside our town’s back door.  Roughly 700 acres of designated open space runs through Louisville.  Standing in Old Town, it is sometimes hard to believe that we are in the middle of a major metropolitan area of 2.8 million people.  Open space provides a crucial buffer from the big city.  It's a major contributor to the small town feel that so many of us treasure.  It is one of the things that distinguishes Louisville from suburban cities such as Highlands Ranch, Centennial, and ahem, Broomfield.

Right now, the shield of undeveloped lands that encircles our city is under siege.  Denver-based developer Brue Baukol is proposing a massive development of office, retail, commercial and residential space on the 389-acre old StorageTek property.  The 5.8 million square foot development they call “Redtail Ridge” lies within the city limits of Louisville.  It is currently owned by oil and gas titan Phillips 66.  To pave the way for highly profitable residential units, Brue Baukol is requesting a change in the city’s Comprehensive Plan that would rezone the property from rural to suburban.  On Tuesday, Louisville City Council will vote on whether to allow what is essentially a small city to be built within our town.

If built, Redtail Ridge will not only affect the creatures that live there, but also those  who exist in the open spaces near and adjacent. Taylor Jones, an Endangered Species Advocate for WildEarth Guardians, says the fragmentation of our open space can seriously impact the habitat of the plants and animals living in our town’s back yard. 

“Fragmentation is the division and disconnection of sections of wildlife habitat from each other. It can happen in many ways; roads, development, even biking or hiking trails can fragment habitat,” Taylor says. “The smaller the contiguous area of habitat gets, the less wildlife it supports.”

WildEarth Guardians is a non-profit dedicated to protecting and restoring wildlife, wild places, wild rivers and health of the American West. https://wildearthguardians.org

The 389-acres of the proposed Redtail Ridge will, in essence, remove a large piece of the open space puzzle that encircles our city.  Redtail Ridge sits in close proximity to Warembourg, Bowes, and Admore Open Space parks to the north. To the east is Trillium Open Space and Carolyn Holmberg Preserve at Rock Creek Farm in Broomfield.  Connecting these open spaces to the Phillips66 lands are streams and ditches which serve as wildlife corridors. 

The open space surrounding Louisville is also habitat for songbirds, great horned owls, eagles, and yes – red-tailed hawks.  Many in our city have delighted in watching a pair of bald eagles who live not far from the eastern boundary of the Phillips66 property.  Since 2012, the eagles have nested and raised their young in the cottonwoods near Stearns Lake.  Taylor believes the lands of the proposed Redtail Ridge are likely part of the eagles’ range.

“If the prairie dog colony makes up a substantial part of the prey base in the area, the eagles may seek out a new place to nest,” Taylor says. “You will also likely see fewer animals like coyotes, raptors, and foxes in the area.”

When contemplating the effects of Redtail Ridge, it is important to not just focus on the 389 acres of the Phillips66 land, but to view the situation from 10,000 feet.

“In our increasingly fragmented and developed world, every piece of habitat is important and should be protected,” Taylor says. “I believe that we need healthy, connected habitats that provide ecosystem services like clean water and protection from zoonotic disease. I believe we need them more than we need another office park.”