letter to the editor@castlepinesconnection.com
Thank you to the Weber family in Castle Pines for taking the time to write in to the editor with a question about the buffalo herd at Daniels Park. Below is the inquiry, as well as the response from Denver Mountain Parks Operation Supervisor Matt Brown:
Hi [Editor],
“I have a question I hope you can answer or look into. Do you know why the Daniels Park Buffalo Herd is being kept off the east side of the park? There are a ton of rumors running around, the worst of which is that someone put a salt lick over the fence and herd management made the decision to teach everybody on the east side of the park a lesson and closed down that side of the park to the buffalo. We have lived on the park fence line for 11 years and this is the first year we have not once seen a single buffalo.”
Thanks, The Weber Family
“Thanks for bringing this to our attention. It is a standard herd management practice to rotate the bison to different areas of the pasture. We do this 2-3 times annually. This lessens the wear and tear on any particular pasture. We have had some issues with people placing salt licks on the outside of the fence to try to draw the bison to that area. Whenever this happens our staff picks up the salt lick and relocates the salt lick to an area within the pasture. Having the bison close to the fence creates damage and erosion to the fence. Overall, the bison are wild animals and have their own mind. Sometimes they create their own preferences about where they like to be in the park. Please contact me if you ever have any questions about the herd. I am happy to help!” – Matt Brown
