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letters to the editor 6/19 |
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Thursday, 19 June 2008 |
Dog owners: Clean up after your dogs
It's spring (hopefully). I want to thank the town department that puts out the blue doggie walk bags and maintains our trail system so well. I am so proud of being a resident of this area for more than 30 years. I think Mammoth Lakes is pretty close to the hereafter.
In cross country skiing in the winter and walking extensively around our town, I have noticed that some of our dog owners have forgotten their responsibilities in not picking up their dog feces. It really is not a pleasant duty to pick up that warm poop even with those great bags the town is providing; however, think of how another person feels when they accidentally pick the poop up on their ski or on their shoes, or have to look at it forever.
This is not the only problem that occurs from this lack of responsibility. In the winter, when the dog defecates on the street and the snowplow and snow blowers come along, minute particles are sprayed onto yours and your neighbor's yard. In the non winter months, dogs who defecate on lawns and it is not picked up, the lawn mower that comes along also sprays minute particles of feces throughout.
Where this is really a serious problem is at our school grounds. On the grassy areas all around our school grounds, dogs defecate there throughout the year even though dogs are prohibited. The lawn mower grooms the lawns and sprays the feces all over and this is the same lawn the children play on, sit and eat snacks on, roll around on. The small particles stick to the cracks of their shoes and this is tracked outdoors as well as indoors.
What we sometimes forget are the viruses and bacteria feces carry. There are many bacteria in feces, E coli being one. Virus such as parvo can be transmitted through feces. In fact, parvo lives well even through a winter. What is also forgotten is that the feces don't just disappear like being flushed down the toilet. It just sits there for the flies to feed on and further transmit bacteria. Next time a person has the gastrointestinal problem, think of where it may have come from.
We live in a beautiful area, but some places have become distasteful because they are being trimmed with feces.
What I really am doing here is just reminding our dog owners to be responsible and pick up after your dogs. Those bags the town is providing are great.
Peggie Chew, DVM
Mammoth Lakes, CA
Change the town ordinance on plastic bags
We are writing you on behalf of the Mammoth High School AP Government Class in concern of the wasteful uses of plastic bags in our town. We have decided as a class to propose a change in the Mammoth Lakes town ordinance to ban the use of plastic bags and encourage the idea of reusing and recycling.
Plastic bags take more than one thousand years to photo degrade and never completely decompose. Three hundred and eighty million bags are used annually in the United States alone, and less than one percent are recycled or reused. In addition, a staggering 12 million barrels of oil are used to produce 100 billion plastic bags, increasing the world's dependency on oil. Not only do these bags greatly impact the environment, but they are also killing thousands of innocent animals each year.
After experiencing the damaging effects of plastic bags at the Town Clean Up, our class decided to take the first step in creating a positive change in our community. Countless U.S. cities and other countries have taken the initiative in limiting their use of plastic bags. On June 18, we present our proposal to the Town Council. We are hoping to add a town ordinance that would require Vons, and eventually other businesses, to supply biodegradable plastic bags, recycled paper bags, and reusable cloth bags to its customers. This will be a system similar to the one that was successfully implemented in San Francisco.
We will also give a presentation at the “Outdoors in Mammoth Environmental Festival” being held August 5 and 6 at the Village.
Dylan Burditt
Mammoth Lakes, CA
Way to go, Mammoth
A huge thank you to the Mammoth Lakes community for passing Measure R.
After I heard the great news Wednesday morning from my wife I had a Jägermeister on an empty stomach.
Another big thanks deserves John Wentworth from MLTPA along with his campaign committee, and last but not least our own Tourism and Recreation Department and Commission. As a member of the commission I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel and help doing some serious planning, and hopefully with community involvement finish jobs which are half done, or in some cases have not started yet.
In critical decisions this community always comes to life:
For 'Education' it passed the school bond. For 'Recreation, Trails and Parks' it passed Measure R. The next issue we have to come together again is to build a four season resort, with tourism-driven economy and small town in the trees flavor, from here on out to build out with everybody's involvement create a place we all can not only be proud of, but also a place we can live in.
Dieter Fiebiger, 35-year resident
Mammoth Lakes, CA
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 26 June 2008 )
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