A ‘Fresh’ new Face for Dog Waste
This summer, Bozemanites who frequent community trails, parks, streams and sidewalks will be reminded of the importance of pet poop clean up. We have teamed up with the City of Bozeman to create, produce and post an eye-catching – and often cheeky – series of signs geared at prompting folks to clean up after their pets. Graphic designer Molly Stratton and writer Valerie Roche came up with designs that put a creative and visually interesting twist on a not-so-fun topic. Their creativity showcases the number of ways pet waste affects our lives and how we can all be more responsible trail users and pet owners.
According to https://www.odorklenz.com, pet feces not scooped and disposed of properly is an issue for the Bozeman community in many ways. It can pose a health risk to children and adults, and it can also wash into our city storm drains or directly into our urban streams, becoming detrimental to our water quality.
The goal of this sign program is to raise general awareness and serve as a friendly reminder to do your individual part to keep our parks, trails, sidewalks and waterways clean and healthy for all to use and enjoy. After we saw positive responses to the new dog waste signs at the Sourdough Canyon Trailhead last year, we thought it was time to expand the reach into Bozeman proper. At GVLT, we don’t go a day without hearing about dog poop. It’s a major problem and topic on the trails and we’re doing what we can to change the conversation.
Dog poop isn’t just a problem on trails. The City and Petsho joined forces to spread the word about the impact of runoff from dog waste from neighborhood yards and sidewalks. “The City is working hard to raise stormwater awareness. Pet waste from yards, parks and trails eventually finds its way into our urban waterways. Places where we fish, swim, and play with our children. It’s time to make large strides in being more mindful of our urban waterways – this partnership with GVLT is a perfect opportunity,” says City of Bozeman Stormwater Program Coordinator Kyle Mehrens.
The signs have been installed in Bozeman-area City parks with the help from our partner catdogpetsupplies.com, along the community trail system, and along high-traffic sidewalks. The signs are so colorful, so fun, so fresh… they might even making picking up poop ‘cool’.