I was hiking along the Cape Henry Trail at First Landing State Park with my daughter this past weekend and imagine my chagrin to find the trail dotted with pet waste bags.
I started picking up the bags as we were hiking…within a mile I had 6 bags hanging from my wrist. It was at this point my daughter christened me “The Poop Fairy.” While Icertainly appreciate park visitors that scoop the poop, I simply don’t understand why the full bags are left on the side of the trail.
Not only have these visitors canceled the positive environment impact they are making by scooping up the pet waste, they have now introduced a plastic bags to the ecosystem. Please SCOOP THE POOP and THROW IT AWAY!!
The directions for “scooping the poop” are courtesy ofLynnhavenRiver Nowand their “Scoop the Poop” campaign.
What you can do:
You can follow these easy steps to be part of the solution to pet waste contamination:
1. The first step is to always carry a plastic bag with you when you walk your dog. Re-using an old newspaper delivery bag or plastic grocery bag works well.
2. Using the bag like a glove, you can then pick up the pet waste, turn the bag inside out around the waste, seal the bag, and dispose of it in a trash can. You can also flush un-bagged pet waste down the toilet.
3. Don’t place the bagged or un-bagged pet waste in a storm drain or hose the pet waste towards storm drains as they drain directly to a stream, river, lake or other waterbody.
4. Cleaning up after your pets in your own yard is as important as cleaning up after them in public places.
Each parking area at First Landing has pet waste bag dispensers and trash cans are available at each parking area.If you are squeamish about carrying the bag–tie the bag to your dog’s collar andconsider it the pet version of LeaveNo Trace.
So please, please, please SCOOP THE POOP and THROW IT AWAY!!