Open Space Advisory Board Agenda and Packet 2016 01 13

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December 9, 2015 Public Comment Steve Rasor, Majestic View Drive Request to switch dog park trail on Davidson Mesa with central multi -use trail I brought a packet for each of you containing a Google map with approximate locations of the impacted wells, photographs, a page from CIP, and articles from the Centers for Disease Control and National Institutes of Health explaining why hundreds of uncollected dog feces can be hazardous to our soil, our household drinking wells, and our health. As you know, after major rain events two of the lower lying lots on my street are inundated with fetid storm water flowing over from the dog park. The first photograph in your packet was taken this spring near the shared well on the property directly south of mine. I watched the water flow over that neighbor's property, our street, and into my yard where it remained for well over a week and even longer near my neighbors' well. Given the odor and the fact that our septic fields were fine, I could only presume that the floating debris contained dog feces. I'm here again to ask for your support to relocate the dog park on Davidson Mesa. Could the main dog park trail be switched with the main multi -use trail? Both the eastern section of the central multi use and dog park trails are in land categorized as Visitor on the open space maps. They both end up in about the same place. I believe this switch would be as convenient, comfortable, and enjoyable to users as the trails are now. The benefit to us would be that the conversion would allow the social trails and trampled, compacted portion of the main trail in the dog park to be re- vegetated with native grass that could hold the soil and capture eroded sediments as close to the source as possible, ideally preventing flooding onto our lots. A hydrologist told me that decay, filtering, and absorption of pollutants occur where water is in contact with soil and plants. The dead and dying vegetation in the dog park do not need to be a story with a sad ending. If the $25,000 CIP funds set aside for elevating the dog park trail in 2016 could be devoted instead to planting seed in the dog park, moving the gates, and adding fencing south of the main trail it would be a use we would celebrate versus one that will worsen our situation. Water runs down hill. The higher a path in the dog park is relative to our lots, the more the pollution will fill our yards. This reconfiguration would allow volunteers like me and others I'll recruit to spread native grass seed, roll it if that's recommended, set up signs like the one shown in your packets, track seedling growth with photographs, and report dogs at large if that occurs. The dog park is directly across from my front door so I'm a perfect candidate to volunteer for any and all of these functions. It will serve your open space rehabilitation mission to allow nature to seek the redemption it desires. Nature is resilient. When native prairie grasses grow, the birds, mammals, reptiles, bees, and butterflies still visiting and residing in our yards will return and the less common birds and raptors would take notice and in time at least feed and hunt if not take up residence there again. I fully recognize this is not a perfect solution. If signs were added posting fines for failing to pick up waste, and pollution prevention regulations enforced, perhaps a new mindset would prevail in a different location. Perceptions that nothing will happen to those who leave their pets' poop behind would change, and better care would be taken of a new space. Given the unpredictability of current 8