Wildlife May Be Hurt by Crowd at Papal Mass, Denver Citizens Say

Pope John Paul II is latest victim of the NIMBY syndrome--Not In My Back Yard.

Residents here are concerned that the Pope’s planned visit to Denver for a Roman Catholic youth conference in August, 1993, may have an adverse impact on the environment--particularly as far as prairie dogs are concerned.

A recreation area designated as a likely site for a papal Mass is the home of a prairie dog colony. As a way of protecting the animals, the Denver Archdiocese is considering contracting with a firm to suck out the prairie dogs and refill the holes. The animals would be moved to another site during the Pope’s stay and then returned.

The area the prairie dogs have chosen for their homes is the preferred site of the altar for the Mass because it is at the bottom of a slope. Worshipers would be placed on the hillside, giving them a view of the pontiff, church officials said.

But residents of the area surrounding the site, the Cherry Creek State Recreation Area, say they are concerned about more than prairie dogs. They are worried about the impact on other wildlife--including deer, coyotes, wild goats and birds--if an expected crowd of 400,000 shows up for the papal Mass.

“I was excited when I first heard the Pope was coming to town, but I’m not sure we want him in our back yard,” said Kate Taucher, a member of Contend, an association of homeowner groups near the recreation area. “The park is an irreplaceable and fragile place.”

The World Youth Conference is expected to attract as many as 200,000 young people. Participants will join in a prayer vigil with the Pope on Saturday night, Aug. 14, and the site of that event will be used the next morning for the papal Mass.