What the City Does:

• In early spring gophers are baited with rodenticides by City crews and contracted pest control personnel as they emerge from their winter burrows in search of food.

• The City targets sportsfields, parks, playgrounds and other problem areas from previous years.

• The City also monitors resident complaints to ensure problem areas are tracked and dealt with early in the season if possible.

What Residents Can Do:

• Residents must refrain from implementing pest control measures on public land as there are significant risks to other animals or users of the space. There is also significant liability placed on any person completing non-authorized pest control on public property.

• Residents are strongly encouraged to report gopher control issues on public spaces through the City’s Request for Service program. Please click here to report an issue.

• Residents should contact private pest management professionals for gopher control on private lands within the City.

Additional Gopher Control Information:

• The City does not use traps and does not apply any grain baits on the surface. Baits are placed well down burrow entrances to help prevent the poisoning of non-target animal species such as birds and other herbivores. If traps or bait are found on the surface, please notify the City so that it can be removed immediately.

• The efficiency of grain baits can drop below 30% after green growth appears in the spring which provides gophers with more feeding choices; therefore, the City begins to slowly reduce its control program as spring/summer progresses.

• Adult gophers enter hibernation from early June to late July while juveniles enter hibernation from early August until October.

The chart below indicates typical periods of activity for gophers.