1.17.09

i didn't get these posted yesterday when we got back from corrals. i needed to remember that as nasty as these inversions are, they bring some beauty too. thanks to caralea ( and of course the dogs!) for getting me get out in it & pointing out the pretty. the trails were frozen and in pretty good shape.

poop article from the seattle times

this was passed along by erik kingston. yes, dog poop can cause health issues if not picked up. no, we're not the only place in the country with this issue, and it extends far beyond the foothills.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008630413_dogdroppings15m.html

reports from the trails

i asked julia & david to share comments so that we can better understand what's happening on the trails and what they deal with and hear regularly. they have been good enough to pass things along and here is one of the latest. this incident did take place in an on leash area- we have lots of educating to do.

Here is a note to thank you for the additional signs that remind users to keep their dogs leashed.

On December 1, 2008 I took my canine friend on a run. During our outing, a dog that was not leashed attacked my boxer. The owner was on her cell phone and was not paying any attention to what her dog was doing, nor did she have any control of her dog. Soon after the attack, I noticed that my dog had two lacerations a little over an inch each. I confronted the owner and told her that I was going to have to take my dog to the vet for treatment and that I expected her to pay for the charges. At first she resisted, but then agreed and gave me her contact information. She did follow through and paid for the care.

At the time of the incident, she did comment that since my dog was on a leash and hers wasn't, her dog felt threatened and that was why her dog attacked. That reasoning doesn't compute since my dog was inches off my side since I had tightened the lead of my dog. (mk: the reasoning also doesn't compute since it is the leashed dog who feels threatened in these situations, not the loose one)

Thank you again for the signs informing users that their dogs must be leashed at all times. I still see unleashed dogs and even people destroying sagebrush so that they can give their canines a fetching stick.

my editorial comment is that i cannot understand why anyone would be chatting away on their cell on the trail, tho i see it all of the time (well, not at 6 am, but during the day). even at the dog park an owner needs to pay more attention to their dog. not to mention the obvious issue with having a dog who bites off leash in the first place, then making excuses. sigh.

wed, jan 14

we were out this morning while the trails were still frozen- this is my shoe after going toward 8th st on red fox and coming back toward camel's back on chickadee.

if you look closely, you can see hoar frost on the front of halle's ears and on the long whiskers coming out of her eyebrows.

inversions make me want to crawl in a hole until the sun comes out again- but it was beautiful and peaceful out there this morning. the fog muffles sound and since visibility isn't great it's like being wrapped in a big soft cocoon.

3 of us out with dogs, one without. all dogs well behaved & leashed where necessary.

loved to death

halle and i were on red fox and chickadee this morning for the first time in a week or so. i checked to be sure we weren't leaving tracks- i didn't pick up slop on my shoes, and i didn't see her leaving paw prints in the trail, so we were ok.

i wonder how many of the people who have been using the trails and leaving the following tracks behind pride themselves on being environmentalists? give to nature conservancy, treasure valley land trust, sierra club etc to preserve wild lands? recycle regularly? ride a bike or walk rather than drive? use cloth grocery bags? practice packing out what they pack into the back country? get upset at sharing backcountry areas with snowmobiles or other motorized vehicles?

and see nothing wrong with running, hiking or biking on muddy trails...

the trail is dry in some spots- but this is after everything that came before, if entering from Camel's Back.

trail up to chickadee getting widened out.

the damage is from all types of trail users- runners, walkers, bike riders with and without dogs.

2 groups of mt bikes; 4 people/groups of people on foot, 3 of us with dogs- all dogs on the trail & leashed where they should be.

quick saturday report

the grove trails are still icy in places, but it's not yaktrax-type of ice: you can easily walk or jog over it without dodging to the edges, which would contribute to trail widening. my elderly GSP negotiated it with ease. and all the dogs we met this morning were well-behaved, under control and on/off-leash in the appropriate designated areas. yay!

and under the heading of "what a great place we live in," my other old GSP, whose arthritis has worsened noticeably over the past few months but recently has gotten really bad (yes, he's being treated for it), decided to stop cold as we were walking down the 8th street extension. a very nice couple in an SUV with a darling yellow lab in the back stopped to ask if we needed help, and the gentleman kindly sat with luca while i jogged down to the lower parking lot for my vehicle. (i'd already tried tying the dog to a tree while i went for the truck, but he is a rescue dog/formerly abandoned in the desert, and he freaked out when i was almost out of eyesight.) thank you ever so much - i didn't even get your names.

that said, there were a lot of laaaarge poop piles just off the trail that leads from the lower 8th street parking lot toward red-winged blackbird and chickadee ridge trails. please, everyone, be mindful of what your dog is doing at all times and pick up after him/her. these piles were not high up on the hill; they were down below, easily visible from the trail (ha! - you can't miss 'em because they were so large), and in an on-leash area. most people are being very responsible, but let's not get lazy just because it's winter. :)

enews- fcac meeting update

Hi All-

The decision is.........put off. Boise City Council is holding work sessions with the standing committees that report to them (Parks Department, Foothills Conservation Advisory Committee, etc.) in February and has asked that pending decisions be put on hold until after that happens.

Work sessions are typically held before Council meetings from 3 in the afternoon on. It is anticipated that the meeting will be held the second or third week in February. These meetings are open to the public, but do not allow public input. As we understand more about the implications we will pass the information along.

Betsy Roberts presented some alternative loop options in the lower Hull's Gulch area, based on our walk last week. Thanks to Betsy for being open minded and looking for alternative solutions. What little discussion there was around Betsy's options was not positive. As far as I can tell, the majority of the committee feels that the stretch of Red Fox along the water towers is more than sufficient off leash area in Lower Hulls.

We are concerned about increased incidents caused by concentrating off leash activity in this area, the current off leash portion of which is only about one mile in length. We have asked that alternatives such as additional trails or perhaps set times for off leash activity be considered, but the majority of the FCAC does not seem interested in helping us find an alternative solution. We're checking into how this can be addressed with Mayor and Council.

The trails are really wet and sloppy.

Please stay off of them unless it's frozen and even then stay on the trail! There is visible damage and widening occurring.

If you do go out and the trail is too icy to be able to stay on the trail or if your shoes or your dog's paws pick up mud please turn back.

I appreciate all information you can send about trail conditions and will add to the blog.

Thanks! Please let me know if you have any questions or comments and check the blog for updates.

Marianne