Re: Much ado about poo (Gazette, Feb. 17)
It infuriates me that the Sooke School District ends up dealing with a problem I believe is initiated by the pro-development policies of Langford.
Dog owners take their pets to run in school grounds because school grounds are typically the nearest open spaces to their homes - some of that being high density condo living.
The City of Langford may be patting itself on the proverbial back for creating Danbrook (dog) Park and the Langford Lake dog park. Almost half of Danbrook Park was created into a parking lot while the Langford Lake dog owners get to share a tiny strip of shore front with a boat launch.
Who really gets the priority there? Sorry Fido, wait on that stick while the carbon emitting truck backs their boat into the water. Turtles sun themselves in the summer on a log half submerged next to this dock. Did anyone ask them if they wanted disturbance by dogs or boats?
I moved to Langford for the reasons many did: lower cost of living and closer access to green spaces. I have watched my neighbourhood forests and green spaces turn into high-density housing for eight years. The token parks and green spaces left behind by the developers are a joke.
Urban trees are an essential multi-functional resource, providing a vast array of benefits for local people, urban communities, and the cityscape. These include improved physical health and mental well-being, pollution absorption, flood protection, and wildlife habitat. Urban trees, parks and open spaces provide many city dwellers with their only recreational space, promoting community cohesion, contact with nature and creating sensory outdoor learning resources.
The newspaper article threatens citizens that the bag dispensers may be taken away if we keep throwing full poopy bags into the bushes. I agree, take them away. Put the money instead into protecting more green spaces while we still have a few trails. People need to be more responsible anyway.
Really, if you are going to bother picking up poop, carry the bag out with you. If we wait long enough, stray poop bags chucked into the bushes and trees won’t be a problem. There wont be any more trees.
Su Castle
Langford