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Prairie dogs worry residents near Potter Park

CLOVIS — Four years ago, local officials declared prairie dogs a "public nuisance."

You'll get no argument from residents living near the 1500 and 1600 blocks of Grand Avenue.

A large lot behind O.G. Potter Memorial Park and The Colonial Inn, which sits between Grand Avenue and Upsilon Street, has become home to an ever-growing village of the critters, possibly numbering in the thousands.

"They look like big old rats," said Yolanda Cortez.

Cortez is a caregiver for her 92-year-old mother, Mary Montano, who lives near the infested lot.

Cortez said she usually takes her mother for walks around the property, but lately Montano refuses to go outside because of the rodents.

"She's terrified," Cortez said.

Cortez's sister, Mary Lumbrera, said it has become a problem for family members to go and visit Montano because of the animals.

"As soon as I get out of the car, there they are," Lumbrera said.

Cortez and Lumbrera are both concerned the creatures carry rabies and other harmful diseases.

"They multiplied more than I've ever seen before," said Tommy Montoya, another area resident.

Montoya said not only have there been more of the creatures, but they have begun moving closer and even into his property from the adjacent lot. Montoya is concerned because the holes made by the prairie dogs pose a safety hazard.

"I called the city," said Montoya, "and they said there is nothing we can do because it's on (private property).

Potter Park also invaded

The animals have made their way onto the fields of Potter Park, including within the public swimming pool area.

"A couple (prairie dogs) have been inside the fence (of the pool)," said Conner Davis, a lifeguard at Potter Pool.

Davis said employees at the pool place traffic cones on top of the holes to keep people away from the area; during the day, the prairie dogs typically stay away from pool goers and employees.

But Mark Dayhoff, director of the city's Parks and Recreation Department, said he still considers prairie dogs "a major safety issue with our kids and our citizens."

The infested areas at O.G. Potter Park have been treated with a pressurized exhaust rodent control reducer (PERC), according to Dayhoff.

But he said the population of rodents has gotten so bad, the city cannot eradicate them fast enough.

"They're running over just about as fast as we treat our park, but we are going to keep working on it," Dayhoff said.

Parks and recreation and other city employees say they cannot treat the lot behind the park because it is privately owned.

Dayhoff said the private property is owned by Clovis Dr. Ali Ghaffari.

Multiple attempts to reach Ghaffari for comment this week were not successful. But he addressed a similar issue in 2013 when park workers reported prairie dogs drowned in the pool.

Ghaffari said he did not own the prairie dogs, but preferred they be relocated instead of killed.

"Why would you want to kill them?" he asked. "Why would you want to poison anything?"

Also in 2013, city commissioners approved an ordinance that added the creatures to the city's definition of public nuisance. It requires property owners to, "maintain their property as to control, and to the extent possible, eradicate disease carrying or poisonous animals."

The county has a similar ordinance.

The city in 2013 also eradicated an unannounced number of prairie dogs at Ned Houk Park.