Boulder County commissioners voted 2-1 on Dec. 9 to pause a planned drone application of herbicide across roughly 800 acres of the Red Hill Open Space area, west of U.S. 36 near the intersection of St. Vrain and Hygiene roads, pending more information on possible alternatives from county staff.
The pause followed strong opposition from local agricultural producers and other residents, who raised concerns in a wave of emails to county commissioners about soil health, seed germination and impacts to post-fire recovery.
Commissioner Claire Levy voted against the pause, while Commissioners Ashley Stolzmann and Marta Loachamin voted in favor of halting the spraying.
“It’s not just the hundreds of emails, but it’s some of the questions that people are having in regards to the concerns around food production and the farms,” Commissioner Loachamin said.
The spraying was intended to control invasive cheatgrass and help restore native biodiversity, Boulder County Deputy Director of Parks and Open Space Land Stewardship Stefan Reinold told commissioners at a meeting last week. Reinold said drone application was chosen because the area’s steep terrain makes tractor use and manual application dangerous. Goat grazing was ruled out to protect vulnerable big horn sheep in the area, and cattle would not have been effective enough at reducing cheatgrass, a fast-spreading invasive grass that crowds out native plants and significantly increases wildfire risk by drying out early in the season.
The county planned to use herbicides known as Rejuvra (indaziflam) and Plateau, with certified drone operators maintaining a buffer of at least 660 feet from residences, according to a November press release. Drones would have flown at 12 feet or lower and moved at slow, controlled speeds.
Opponents said indaziflam can prevent all seeds from germinating for years, potentially hindering natural regrowth, especially in post-fire landscapes.
Loachamin said she wanted more information about terrain, runoff and the potential for alternatives that may not yet have been fully explored, especially following emails from residents looking to volunteer to help.
Levy, who voted against pausing the herbicide application, cited her experience seeing monocultures of cheatgrass overtake mountain landscapes.
“To say that we’re not gonna do [the application] because maybe, maybe, maybe there’s something we haven’t thought of, I just think is wrong,” she said.
This is a shockingly irresponsible decision from commissioners Stolzmann and Loachamin. One that is particularly frustrating due to the dry conditions we’ve been experiencing, as well as the implication that the opinions of an ignorant vocal minority are more important than the conclusions of qualified experts.
Perhaps Stolzmann, Loachamin, and those who spoke out against this will volunteer to hand pull the 800 acres of invasive cheatgrass themselves? If they start tomorrow, they might be done by 2030.
Thank you for covering this, it was great to see community voices and environmental concerns leading to meaningful action. The pause in drone herbicide spraying reflects how public engagement and advocacy can influence land management decisions. It’s a reminder of the importance of stewardship, transparency, and responsive governance in protecting open spaces.
As a 25 year survivor of Non Hodgkins Lymphoma, a cancer correlated with glyphosate (enough to result in a legal victory against Monsanto-I can’t apply because it was too long ago but I’m so glad others can) this was the right decision. Spraying toxins widely in natural areas can never be the answer to a problem. Thank you, Ashley and Marta, please remember to look at these things from the larger ecological perspective.