The Denver Mayor and City Council met on March 4, 2025, at 4:30 PM UTC (local time morning) for their weekly session. The meeting began with introductions, announcements of upcoming community events, and a personal moment. The main agenda item was a presentation by Shannon Dennison, Director of Denver Mountain Parks, on the city's bison herds, conservation efforts, and partnerships with indigenous communities. Council members discussed the significance of the bison return program, ecological initiatives, and future policy considerations.
Presentation on Denver Mountain Parks Bison Herd and Indigenous Partnerships Shannon Dennison presented on the history and significance of Denver's two bison herds at Genesee Park and Daniels Park. She highlighted the genetic, ecological, and cultural value of the herd, which originated in City Park in 1899 and was moved to the mountains in 1914. She discussed the role of bison dung beetles, including the rainbow scarab, and a partnership with Denver Zoo to reintroduce them. The city's tribal bison transfer program has returned 140 bison to six states since 2020, with upcoming transfers on March 6 (5 bison to Standing Rock) and March 10 (17 bison to Kiowa, Ponca, and Winnebago tribes). She also outlined other indigenous partnerships: a medicine wheel garden at Daniels Park, the Living Land Project at City Park (intertribal design), and a pilot indigenous youth fire mitigation program with Mile High Youth Corps.
Council members responded positively:
Welcome to this meeting of the mayor and Denver City Council. At this weekly session, city agencies brief the mayor and council members on various proposals and projects across the city. This meeting of the mayor and city council members begins now. Okay. Okay. So we're gonna do this presentation. We're gonna go in the place. And so all you have to do is just ten minutes. All right, yeah. Thank you. I know that's very good. That's a good question. Good morning. Yeah. Okay. I'd like having everyone. All over the city. Thank you. Good morning. Good morning. Morning. So we're calling to order. Yeah. All right. Bring your gap on. Where's the agenda? Uh so the agenda is good morning. It's March 4th. And it's Mayor Council, and I'm helping, I'm doing an assist. He's phoning a friend. No, he didn't phone me. I'm just gonna help him because that's what we do in Denver. Um, so it this is Mayor Council, and we usually just start with introductions and then any um announcements, and then we just go into the presentation. So I'll let you take it from there. Thank you, madam president. So Al Gardner, Deputy Mayor. Good morning, Jamie Torres, West Denver District Three. Good morning, Diana Romero Campbell, Southeast Denver District Four. Good morning, Daryl Watson, fine district nine. Morning, Stacey Gilmore, District 11. Uh Kevin Flynn, Southwest Denver's District 2. Good morning, Amanda Sandoval and Northwest Denver District 1. Oh, any announcements? Councilwater. Thank you. I just wanted to share that tonight we'll be celebrating Marty Gras District 7 at Lucille's on Logan and Alameda with the Westwash Park neighbors. That's all. Thank you. Thank you. Any other announcements?