Op Ed: Chaffee County has a Poop Problem

Note: our Americorp Public Programs Resource Assistant, Rose Nadelhoffer, wrote this op-ed for the Mountain Mail, that was published July 27, 2024. 

Chaffee County has a poop problem, and you and your dog may be contributing to it.

Feces carry pathogens that are highly dangerous for creatures that live in and around the river and for all of us who utilize river water for our basic needs, irrigation and recreation. Moreover, scientists have found that feces leech pathogens into the neighboring environment for years regardless of how deep they are buried underground.

If you lose track of the poop your off-leash dog takes, it will contaminate its surroundings until runoff flushes that turd straight into the Arkansas River, where it will continue to threaten the health of animals and humans downstream. Leashing your dog allows you to more easily monitor their bowel movements and mitigate preventable environmental contamination from their waste. Not to mention it’s the law to leash your dog (with a physical leash, not just an electric collar) in city limits and on other public property areas, including wilderness areas.

Another easy way to prevent the spread of e-coli: Pack that doggy bag out! I see abandoned doggy bags all over Chaffee County public lands. Those plastic bags will never decompose and will eventually end up in the river, too.

Now let’s talk about our No. 2. Since 2022, GARNA has received a grant from Common Grounds for the Portapotties on Public Lands program. Each summer, two dozen portable toilets are placed in popular dispersed camping areas and trailheads with Adventure by Nature messaging to encourage proper camping and poop behavior. This project alone has kept over 10,000 gallons of waste out of our environment each summer.

Our public lands are already overflowing with human and animal waste due to a recent surge in dispersed camping and outdoor recreation. It is your responsibility as a recreator and a dog owner to ensure poopy pathogens don’t end up in our water sources. Follow the Leave no Trace principle No. 3 – Dispose of Waste Properly. Leash your dog, scoop it up, pack it out and throw it out. And while you’re at it, if there is no facility, make sure to pack out your own human waste with WAG bags or groovers as well.