Some sites in Commerce City with plague-affected prairie dogs will remain closed through Labor Day, and unaffected areas of the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge will reopen Saturday.
Closures through Labor Day are necessary so “authorities can continue to treat the prairie dogs’ holes with insecticide to kill any remaining fleas that could transmit the disease to prairie dogs, people and pets,” according to a Tri-County Health Department news release.
The prairie dog colonies are being monitored, and burrows are being treated, said John M. Douglas Jr., executive director of Tri-County. But there is still evidence of fleas in hiking and camping areas, which could put people and pets at risk, so those areas will remain closed, Douglas said.
Confirmed cases of plague in Commerce City forced closures in multiple areas this month.
Areas of the wildlife refuge set to reopen include the visitor center, Wildlife Drive and recreational fishing. Some trails and parking lots in the refuge will remain closed through Labor Day. Closed areas will be marked clearly.
In Commerce City, the Prairie Gateway Open Space remains closed, along with vacant fields along East 56th
Avenue near intersections with Quebec and Valentia streets, the health department said. Dick’s Sporting Goods Park is open, and unpaved parking lots there will remain closed.
