At Anchorage Waterways Council (AWC), we love to hear positive stories, such as Pete Eberhardt’s recent letter to the editor. He reported on a very encouraging transition of a trail down to Westchester Lagoon that was pretty much impassable from dog poop 20 years ago to one that hosted only a few after this year’s breakup.
Why is this great news to us? For 40 years, AWC has worked painstakingly to educate residents about the various impacts of dog poop that is not picked up and disposed of properly. Eberhardt’s story illustrates that our messaging is getting out, and people are responding. Other trail users have reported similar anecdotal evidence on the Coastal and Chester Creek trails, and I’ve seen it myself along the Campbell Creek Trail.
Our primary aim is to keep the pathogens, which include bacteria, viruses, and parasites, from contaminating local creeks and lakes where there is swimming and wading. These well-loved and highly used waterways are one of the great amenities to living here, so why chance you or your children or pets getting sick from contaminated water? And who among us hasn’t had the unpleasant experience of getting dog poop on our shoes?
As he also noted, cleaning up dog poop is pretty simple along trails where there are pet waste stations and trash bins to accommodate pet owners. It’s also a great idea to carry extra bags for those who have forgotten one — this happens to all of us no matter how diligent we are.
Lastly, we all know that carrying a bag of dog poop isn’t among our top 10 favorite activities, but disposing of it properly is so important. So, please do. Your creeks will thank you for it.
— Cherie Northon
Anchorage Waterways Council
Anchorage
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