Those aren't Christmas decorations....

Apologies for two posts in a row about trash, but 'tis the season! As grasses and forbs die back, the accumulated litter from summer and fall is revealed in all its trashy glory near the stormwater outlets.

On a recent free morning, I grabbed a heavy black trash bag, my gloves, and trusty trash grabber and headed to the Greenway for a quick impromptu cleanup. I was expecting the usual mix of beverage containers (would that an effective, comprehensive Bottle Bill could be implemented....), fast food and convenience store litter, and assorted plastic miscellanies washed into the basins from the surrounding gutters.

What I did NOT expect was 40+ bags of dog poop, seemingly from a single dog given the uniform bag style and, let's say, heft of the contents, within the space of a few meters. 

Please, friends and neighbors...don't do this. It's been previously noted that there is no poop fairy to clean up your dog's waste, but that's not accurate.

It's me. I'm the poop fairy. I, and other volunteers, spend our limited free time picking up other people's trash, to make our environment more pleasant for humans and wildlife. It's already kind of a gross job, and unnecessary dog's excrement magnifies the grossness exponentially. 

I get it. It's nice to walk with your dog, unencumbered. But throwing trash in our shared greenspace is not the answer. And don't take my (admittedly biased) word for it. According to the EPA:

Pet waste in waterbodies can make people and animals sick, promote weed and algae growth, and damage the health of the ecosystem in and around the water. Pet waste is a leading source of nutrient and bacteria pollution in urban streams and waterways.

So let's take care of our natural spaces and waterways the same way we take care of our beloved pets: do what's best for them, even if it's a little inconvenient.