Harnessing the power of poop

Welcome Spring. Happy Earth Day. We are very fortunate to have so many beautiful places to explore – the Orono Crown Lands, Waterfront Trail by Graham Creek, Samuel Wilmot Nature Area, to name a few. As a gentle reminder…we are all stewards of these lands.

So, what’s with flinging dog poop bags in the trees? Hanging them on fences? Thrown in the bushes? It’s simple – your dog poops you pick it up, if there isn’t a garbage bin for disposal, you take it home.

This past Saturday during the Earth Day cleanup volunteers pulled 40 bags of dog poop out of the bushes along Graham Creek. Seriously?

Dogs can harbor lots of viruses, bacteria and parasites — including harmful pathogens like e coli, giardia and salmonella. Studies have traced 20 to 30 percent of the bacteria in water samples from urban watersheds to dog waste. Pet poop that is left in yards, fields, parks and on sidewalks eventually ends up in rivers, lakes and other bodies of water. It is carried there by spring run-off and heavy rainfalls, either directly or via storm sewers.

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