A huge thanks for Joyce Barnett’s April 18 call to action for cleaning up dog poop! The Anchorage Waterways Council, or AWC, strives to educate pet owners on why it is so important to scoop the poop.
Aside from the yuck factor of humans and dogs stepping in it, pet waste left on the ground will invariably find its way into our much-loved creeks and lakes. What happens then? People and pets can become ill while enjoying local waterways. One gram of dog poop contains approximately 23,000,000 fecal coliform bacteria. Multiply all the dog poop left on the ground, and it’s very disturbing to imagine how affected our creeks and lakes are. These are the places where your children swim and wade, and hundreds of residents enjoy kayaking and fishing.
This Saturday, April 22, is our annual Scoop the Poop Day where the focus is on cleaning up pet waste on local trails and in dog parks, e.g., University Lake and Connors Bog. Please consider coming out and helping there or pick your own location to clean. AWC will supply buckets, bags, trowels and gloves at the parks, or contact us — awc@anchoragecreeks.org — to pick up gloves and bags if you want to clean elsewhere. Thank you for doing your part, and please remember that every day is a Scoop the Poop Day!
— Cherie Northon, Ph.D.
Executive Director, Anchorage Waterways Council
Anchorage
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