A while back I took Marley to her favorite park and we saw signs on all the trees in the small dog section; the trees were all going to be removed. The trees were a big draw for us and I became concerned so I contacted the number on the flyer and did not receive a response. I eventually contacted the park district to inquire about the tree removal and replacements.
I was a bit unsettled by the response from the park district and I started to do some research about our park. I learned the park was one of the first in the region (in 1990) and it was considered quite revolutionary. At that time the park district signed an agreement with the founding members. That agreement created the dog park association; which maintains the dog park. Today, park design tends to include amenities such as a dog park in the planing stage of a new park.
Trees in the park were a major draw for me and I started to evaluate the park and amenities and compare Marley's favorite park with others in the region. I became very upset when I realized how other dog parks are managed and maintained. At this point it would have been smart had I picked out a new favorite park; instead I turned into Norma Rae.
The dog park members rallied and we attended park district meetings and we expressed our distress with the lack of basic amenities in the dog park and at times unhealthy conditions. The park listened to our concerns and after much debate agreed to work on a dog park master plan that would revitalize our park. The park offered to split the cost of renovating the park with the dog park association.
We have a lot of money that needs to be raised for the park to begin construction and in the last few months we have changed our approach. We will be holding fundraisers every month until we have enough to begin construction.
Last week we staffed a gift wrapping booth at Pet Express.
This week we held our 1st Annual Calendar Photo Shoot. It was a huge success. Good Day Sacramento did a brief story on our event. The photos were taken by Micheal Hall, who graciously donated his time. Coffee was donated by Starbucks. Donuts were donated by Richard's donuts, Raley's and BelAir and Safeway. Goodie bags were donated by Incredible Pets.
If you are in the area we welcome your attendance at an event. I would also recommend you to check how your favorite dog park is maintained and if there is a dog park society in charge of maintenance I would encourage you to make a donation.
As I was setting up yesterday in the frost covered lawn, I realized I still don't know when the removed trees will be replaced.
1 comment:
Good for you! It's so refreshing to see someone willing to put a bit of effort into what's important to you. OK a LOT of effort :-). Best of luck with the trees. I'm always sad to see wonderful old trees coming down.
Love your blog.
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