The preserve portion of Oxbow Park will close again on Dec. 1, until the Durango City Council can weigh in on whether to open the area to the public this winter.

For the last two years, the city has seasonally closed the Oxbow Preserve from Dec. 1 through June 30, during which time a biologist has led a study to gather baseline data about the area’s bird activity, said Cathy Metz, parks and recreation director.

Starting this December, the Natural Lands Advisory Board had planned to keep the preserve open to the public to measure the impact of people on the birds, said Paul Wilbert, a member of the board.

The preserve was also planned to be open to the public year-round in 2017 as part of the study. Once the board had two years of data showing how people affect the birds to compare to two years of data without people in the park, it planned to make a decision about park management.

This has been the board’s plan for more than two years, he said.

“We voted to not change the plan,” Wilbert said.

However, Durango City Councilor Sweetie Marbury raised concerns about allowing dogs and people in the preserve during a City Council meeting last week.

“When you open it up, there could be damage,” she said.

As a result, the council will likely take up the issue after Jan. 1, 2016, Metz said.

In the meantime, a sign will be posted on the preserve’s gate on Dec. 1 closing it to the public, Metz said.

In the first year of the study, the researchers found the preserve was home to 43 bird species. They also netted an endangered willow flycatcher, a brewer’s sparrow and an ovenbird. But the rare birds were likely migrating through, not nesting in the area.

Metz is hopeful the bird study that is being done in partnership with Colorado Parks and Wildlife can continue for several years.

“It seems to be a quite popular program,” she said.

mshinn@durangoherald.com