When the rules get broken

I went for a hike with my family yesterday in Rocky Mountain National Park to celebrate Mother's Day. It was a perfect day for a hike - 60's, sunny, a few clouds and no wind. As we hiked, we began to notice tracks in the snow that looked like those of a coyote. I'm no Tom Brown so I wasn't sure but they were fun for our son to follow. We hiked to an abandoned mine in the Park, found a nice spot for a picnic and had the place to ourselves. We only saw a few other people on the trails all day. However, on our way back to the trailhead, we heard a group coming from behind us. I turned around an noticed they had a dog on a leash. That explained the tracks in the snow but begged the question as to whether or not the dog owner knew that dogs aren't allowed on Park trails.

The dog owner was moving pretty quickly past us and I knew I'd only have one shot at talking to him about the dog. My initial thought was to just tell him dogs weren't allowed. But as he got closer I changed tact and said, "Howdy. Do you hike here much?" expecting him to say that he was new to the Park, which would allow me the opportunity to tell him about the Park's rule on dogs and why they weren't allowed. Much to my surprise, he told me he "hiked in the Park a lot." To which I said, "I didn't know dogs were allowed on Park trails [playing dumb]." His response got me, "Dogs aren't allowed on the trails but they're [the National Park Service] pretty cool about it this time of year. It's just not a big deal." At this point, I really didn't know what to say. Especially since this guy knew the rules but blatantly chose to break them.

This is the guy whose selfish actions impact the rest of us. Don't be this guy...

How I Spent My Wednesday Morning

Snow day!

New Frontcountry Guidelines for Dogs...

... Even if it's only for a short time!

Boulder, Colorado is bringing back the Annual Dog Dayz event that puts a little extra "pep" in the step of many local dogs... and in some cases, maybe even a "spring" in the form of a diving board.

During this quirky and loved event, the rules are flipped at the local pool: "No humans allowed in the water." Just dogs - and hundreds of them, at that.

It always pays to be aware of your local land manager and town regulations on pets, and this is no exception. After all, you wouldn't want to miss out on a fun event like this!

Check it out the full feature on Dog Dayz at Boulder Daily Camera's website.

Dealing with Dog Poop

Make no mistake, pet waste is an issue in the out-of-doors. Particularly when it's not dealt with properly. As more and more people and their pets enjoy the outdoors, the problem just keeps growing. For example, City of Boulder (CO) Open Space and Mountain Parks estimates that 40 TONS (80,000 lbs) of pet wastes are left on open space lands (40,000+ acres) each year. This represents a 10 ton increase in just the past 5 years. While most dog owners simply use either a poop bag or a plastic grocery bag to pick up their pets waste, some enterprising people overseas have come up with a solution:

Whatever method you use for dealing with your pet waste, please do the right thing.

Picking up Dog Poop

As we're all aware, Leave No Trace emphasizes a Pack it in, Pack it out mentality - and this includes dog waste.

From the Frontcountry Ethics Reference Card:

Trash Your Trash and Pick Up Poop.

• Use a plastic bag to pack out your pet's poop to a garbage can.

While this task can be come increasingly stinky on long (and multi-day) hikes, I've discovered

a great compromise!

Meet my backpacking Lab, Ollie:

Ollie on top of Sunshine Peak, her first 14er (July, 2008).

Instead of (me) lugging around days worth of her less-than-pleasant smelling deposits, she

carries it herself in her own pack!

There are several great manufacturers making dog-specific packs. Just make sure to balance

the load, and keep a light load to maximize the fun factor for your pooch. For example, Ollie

just carries her food and waste (in separate air-tight containers, of course).

Dog and Woman Take to the Bike

Two weeks ago, I finally had the opportunity to meet an extraordinary woman and her companion: a Washington-based veterinarian and Leave No Trace advocate and her yellow Labrador Retriever, Mitchell. Towing her dog in a trailer, she will bike across the country in 2009, teaching Leave No Trace along the way. We hope to have great stories and photos to share with you about Fisher’s travels throughout the year. We do not yet have photos of Mitchell and companion thus the photo included is merely in place to whet your appetite.

A New Way to Leave No Trace in the Frontcountry

We all know that it's important to pick up after our dogs when we are taking them to the park or out on trails, but what is the best way to get rid of the waste responsibly after you pick it up? I recently discovered a compost method that enables dog owners to safely compost dog waste. You can't use this compost in the garden, but this method keeps untreated waste out of the landfill. Give it a try and tell me what you think :).

Check it out at http://homepage.mac.com/cityfarmer/PhotoAlbum22.html

A Question For You

Our local friends groups for dog owners: FIDOS (Friends Interested in Dogs on Open Space http://fidos.org/) instituted a program a couple of years ago, encouraging its members to take an extra poop bag on the Boulder trails. They asked everyone to pick up, not only their own dog's poop, but an extra one as well, in an effort to greatly reduce the dog poop on Open Space trails.

A Boulder County Open Space and Mountain Parks representative questioned the program's positive impact because it didn't change the behavior of the original culprits.

What's your opinion of the the FIDOS program?

Poop!?

This past morning I decided to start the day with a leisurely on one of the local trails just out my back door. My trail companion “Tucker” and I started our hike up the block till we reached the trailhead. The sight of an empty parking lot brought a smile to my face. We stopped at the main trail sign and checked out the map to plan our route. Just below the map was another sign asking to please pick up after your pet along with a PVC tube containing green plastic waste bags. I we took a bag with us and went on our way. About ¼ mile in we saw a green bag containing pet waste tied up and placed on the side of the trail. About 20 more yards up hill we saw another bag. In total on my Hike I counted about 5 separate bags of dog waste sitting either along the trail or thrown into the bushes. What is the good of picking up after your pet if you are going to leave it? This is not the first time I have seen pet waste on the trail and unfortunately probably not the last. Please be considerate of others!  

I didn't have a camera with me to take any photos so here is one of Tucker sleeping

What Does the Leave No Trace Logo Mean to You?

We’re frequently asked around the Center about the meaning of the Leave No Trace logo. It’s not uncommon to get a least 1 call a week with some reference to the logo. The following are a few of the terms we hear:

• swirly gig
• pinwheel
• hurricane
• whirlpool
• galaxy

With such creative terms for the logo, you can imagine that the explanations of the Leave No Trace emblem get quite original as well. I’ve heard folks incorporate everything from water to space in their meanings of the symbol we’re all so fond of (side note: we know of at least 3 people who have Leave No Trace tattoos!).

I thought it was time to share the Center’s “unofficial” definition of the Leave No Trace logo. Consider the circle in the middle to be a fond outdoor experience or your favorite place to play outside. The surrounding lines represent the ways we interact with that experience or in that space: with enjoyment, wonder, appreciation, and awareness we come into and out of the experience with as little impact as possible.

This is, of course, up for interpretation. Leave us a comment and let us know what the Leave No Trace logo means to you!

The Scoop on Dog Poop

As I was dog walking with my brother-in-law in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park recently, I had the conversation with him about a couple a couple of dog poop misconceptions. He said two things common to this discussion: 1. Dog poop is biodegradable; 2. No one is cleaning up after bears and deer.

My answer to #1: Dog poop ain’t pretty and it is also a breeder of disease and germs. Particularly in cities, it plays a role in water bacterial pollution of relevant streams and lakes. Dog poop creates high levels of nitrogen in the soil, killing off native plants that often yield to tougher invasive weeds.

My answer to #2: True, though animals in the wild are not eating the processed food that dogs are. They are eating native plants and animals, unless you leave your Burger King on a bench.

How could I make a stronger argument? What did I miss?

Susy Alkaitis