08/01/2025
URGENT HELP NEEDED!! PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD. I KNOW NOT EVERYONE LOVES PRAIRIE DOGS, HOWEVER, PRAIRIE DOG ACTION OFFERED TO HUMANELY RELOCATE ALL OF THESE PRAIRIE DOGS FOR FREE. INSTEAD VANESSA SIEVEWRIGHT ELECTED TO PAY FOR OUR OWNERS ASSOCIATION TO GAS THEM, AND ILLEGALLY W CO2 INSTEAD OF CARBON MONOXIDE. I AM AT MY MOTHER'S BURIAL IN CRESTED BUTTE TODAY. ANIMAL AND PEST CONTROL SPECIALIST, COMMERCE CITY IS CURRENTLY AGAIN TRAPPING AND GASSING THE PRAIRIE DOGS ON THE LAND THIS MORNING - MOST OF THESE REMAINING PRAIRIE DOGS ARE BABIES ;(. ALL OF THIS IS ILLEGAL AND THE NEW CITY OFFICIALS HAVE ENABLED THIS ILLEGAL ACTIVITY. SEE BELOW - THERE ARE ABOUT 10 OTHER EMAILS - NO TIME TO BE THOROUGH THIS MORNING.
RONNIE PERCELLA IS THE EXTERMINATOR WHO CAME OUT THIS MORNING AND DID NOT PRODUCE A PERMIT.
POLICE RESPONDED - OFFICER BUTKOVSKI
Response to Philip Kleisler, City of Lafayette
Date: July 31, 2025
To: Philip Kleisler, Long Range Planning Manager, City of Lafayette
From: Dr. JJ Wellman, D.V.M., M.S., Happy Paws Veterinary Hospital
Subject: Re: Urgent Cease and Desist – Westgate Office Park Prairie Dog Control
Dear Mr. Kleisler,
Thank you for your response dated July 30, 2025, regarding the prairie dog control activities at Westgate Office Park, 1285 Cimarron Dr, Lafayette, CO 80026. I am writing to address significant procedural violations, misrepresentations, and a lack of transparency in the City’s actions, and to demand an immediate cessation of all prairie dog control activities until a lawful, transparent, and ethical resolution is achieved. While I remain committed to collaborating with the City to protect the remaining prairie dogs through free relocation, the ongoing failure to uphold the Prairie Dog Control Ordinance compels me to consider further actions, including engaging the media and sharing on social platforms the disorganized and opaque manner in which City officials have handled this matter, should these concerns not be promptly addressed.
Your letter claims that a Special Permit was issued on July 18, 2025, with a five-day review period, bypassing the 60-day public notification required for a Control Permit under the Prairie Dog Control Ordinance (Article XI of Chapter 25 of the Lafayette Code). This assertion is directly contradicted by City officials. On July 23, 2025, I met with Millissa Berry and Steven Williams, who explicitly confirmed that no permit had been approved at that time. Despite repeated requests for a copy of the alleged Special Permit, the City has failed to produce any documentation, raising serious concerns about the permit’s validity and the City’s compliance with its legal obligations. The citizens of Lafayette deserve transparency, including access to permits and a clear explanation of how this process was conducted, particularly given the covert actions described below.
The City’s justification for the Special Permit—allegedly necessitated by the operation of a children’s daycare and therapy facility—is factually baseless. Vanessa Sievewright, the applicant, has explicitly denied operating a daycare, having removed all playground equipment and confirmed her opposition to such a use. As of March 2025, no variance had been approved for a playground at this location, undermining any claim of a time-sensitive public health emergency. Furthermore, in a recorded conversation with Ms. Sievewright on May 13, 2025, she acknowledged that her “consultants” were not experts in conservation or wildlife management but exterminators who profit solely from lethal control. These individuals lack education or qualifications in prairie dog relocation and are financially incentivized to advocate for killing wildlife. I formally request documentation evidencing any professional relocators Ms. Sievewright allegedly contacted, as I contend no such efforts were made. Had she engaged qualified wildlife experts, this conflict could have been avoided.
The ordinance explicitly prohibits misrepresentations on a permit application, rendering Ms. Sievewright’s claims regarding a daycare and consultation with relocators potential violations that invalidate the Special Permit. The Special Permit process is reserved for genuine public health emergencies, such as plague risks, burrows obstructing public waterways, or airport runway hazards—not for accommodating the demands of a single property owner who misrepresents her intentions and disregards the ordinance’s requirements. The City’s failure to verify these claims has enabled an unlawful process that undermines the ordinance’s purpose of protecting wildlife and ensuring public participation.
Further exacerbating this issue, the City and Ms. Sievewright proceeded with control activities in a manner that excluded other property owners and the public. As a property owner at Westgate Office Park, I contribute $725 monthly to to the owners’ association, which includes maintenance of the common areas where these activities occurred. On or before July 29, 2025, an exterminator arrived secretly before business hours, without notice, without a visible permit, and without acknowledging my status as a property owner who objects on moral, legal, and ethical grounds. This clandestine approach is unacceptable, particularly in a commercial property setting where the ordinance distinguishes between residential and commercial contexts. While residential property owners may elect lethal means under specific conditions, in a commercial property like Westgate Office Park, where one building owner demands lethal control while another strongly objects absent any public health threat, such actions violate the ordinance’s intent to balance competing interests and protect wildlife.
The Prairie Dog Control Ordinance was enacted to ensure transparency, public participation, and the conservation of Lafayette’s wildlife. By issuing a Special Permit without public notice, failing to produce the permit, and allowing covert lethal control, the City has breached its duty to its citizens. Ms. Sievewright’s actions demonstrates a disregard for other business owners, the ordinance adopted by Lafayette’s citizens, and the ecological balance of the area, where baby prairie dogs and rabbits coexist in the open field. Fumigation, as proposed, kills non-target species and is unnecessary when a free, humane, and ethical relocation alternative is available. This solution not only complies with the ordinance but also enhances the City’s reputation as a steward of its natural resources.
Happy Paws Veterinary Hospital and Happy Tails Properties, both wholly owned by me, contribute $52,000 annually in taxes to the City of Lafayette. The disorganized communication, involvement of new officials unfamiliar with the ordinance, and failure to provide requested documentation have eroded public trust, leaving taxpayers like myself feeling unrepresented. I attribute these issues to an administrative oversight by newly appointed officials who lack the historical context of the ordinance. I respectfully request that all discussions be paused until Jon Hoffman, the official most familiar with the ordinance, returns from vacation. His expertise is critical to ensuring the ordinance is upheld, conflicts are minimized, and irrational demands from citizens like Ms. Sievewright are appropriately de-escalated to prevent unlawful and unjustified outcomes.
To resolve this matter and avoid further escalation, including potential media coverage and public discussion on social platforms regarding the City’s disorganized handling of this issue, I propose the following:
Immediate Cease and Desist: Suspend all prairie dog control activities, including lethal control, at 1285 Cimarron Dr, until the permit process is fully validated and complies with the ordinance.
Transparency: Produce the alleged Special Permit, including the application, criteria for issuance, and evidence of professional relocators contacted, within seven (7) days of this letter.
Public Engagement: Convene a public forum to provide transparency, share permit documentation, and restore community confidence in the City’s adherence to the ordinance.
The City’s failure to provide notice, produce the permit, or respect the rights of property owners and citizens has created an impression of covert actions lacking accountability. While I acknowledge that mistakes may occur, particularly with new officials navigating complex regulations, it is unconscionable to allow the remaining prairie dogs and non-target species to suffer as a result. Should these concerns not be addressed promptly, I will be compelled to pursue further legal and administrative remedies, including engaging the media and posting on social platforms to highlight the City’s disorganized and non-transparent handling of this matter. I remain hopeful that we can work together to rectify this oversight and demonstrate the City’s commitment to transparency, ethical governance, and wildlife conservation.
Respectfully,
Dr. JJ Wellman, D.V.M., M.S.
Happy Paws Veterinary Hospital & Luxury Cat Resort L.L.C.
720-520-2412
[email protected]
