This newsletter is written in response to recent complaints about the dog poop left along our club’s trail on Lake Lillian, and to similar complaints from Lake Windermere. There are a number of great reasons to pick up after your dog, not the least of which is that you or your friends, may "discover" the treasure while going for a nice ski/skate. In addition to the aesthetic reasons (poop stinks) to clean up behind your pooch, there are very sound health and ecological reasons:

1. 1. Poop contains pathogenic (disease causing) organisms that make people sick. Many of us rely on lakes as our drinking water source and our kids often ingest water while playing on the beach.

2. 2. Excess nutrient loading, including phosphorous, from more dog traffic (poo) causes significant imbalances in a lake’s natural ecosystem. This leads to degradation of water quality. Nutrients from feacal matter may lead to increased slime and algae growth. This is a concern with a low flush rate lake, such as Lake Lillian. Generally, once phosphorous enters a lake such as Lillian, it’s there to stay and will decrease water quality. This affects oxygen levels and other physical characteristics that fish and wildlife need to survive.

3. 3. As more of us use the lake, and take our dogs with us, the fragile ecological balance and public health are further jeopardized. We need to reduce the risks to ensure the health of our lakes.

We need to be careful and responsible to ensure that the lakes that we love remain lovely.

The days of relying on finding a frozen poop for your hockey game are long past. Most people have pucks now and pooper scooper bags are readily available - so no excuses. If you have a dog and see someone else’s mess, consider cleaning it up for the one from your own dog that got away – it’s always a good idea to pay it forward.

Brian Nickurak
Director, British Columbia Lake Stewardship Society
Member, Toby Creek Nordic Ski Club