Eagle County Government / Courtesy photo
You hear a lot about voting this time of year, but instead of talking about voting issues, the Eagle Valley Trail fundraising campaign team is encouraging the public to offer input on a rather smelly topic – pick up your dog’s doo-doo.
In an effort to keep the Eagle Valley Trail clean for all who use it, pet aid stations will be provided along the way so pet owners can do their duty after their pup has done theirs. “Help us find the best slogan” is the head of the web page where people can vote for the phrase that will resonate the most and encourage pet owners to do the right thing. Here are the slogans to choose from:
- Don’t let your puppy slip and run away!
- No matter the race, clean up the act
- Be a poor hero. Clean up after your puppy
- We saw that. Grab a bag – we’ll be waiting
- Your dog does his duty, do yours
“When we created naming opportunities for the Eagle Valley Trail, we started hearing from people who wanted to name an animal rescue station in loving memory of their beloved dog who died. That gave us the idea of involving the entire community in selecting their favorite slogan that would get people to take note and hopefully pick up a bag and remove their dog’s waste,” said Kevin Sharkey, the trail program manager for ECO Trails.
Voting has begun and there are already some slogans that are at the top, but voting lasts until November 15.
“We’ve had dozens of votes so far and the favorites seem to be emerging. But voting is open for two more weeks, so anything could happen,” Sharkey said.
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The Eagle Valley Trail is for everyone, whether two-legged or four-legged, but the stakeholders involved in creating the valley trail want to keep it clean. Dog waste can carry germs and pollute water and the environment. Not to mention that there is nothing worse than getting in a pile.
“We wanted to make it easier for people to do the right thing and have fun with it. We also wanted to increase our engagement with the community and we thought this would be a fun way to do it. We thought it would be a good way to engage more people in the Eagle Valley Trail campaign who are not willing or able to donate,” Sharkey said.
The Eagle Valley Trail is raising funds to complete the final 7.5 mile stretch between Edwards and Horn Ranch. This section is the longest, most difficult and most expensive part of the trail that spans 63 miles of continuous recreational trails in Eagle County.
To cast your vote, go to EagleValleyTrail.org/Pet-Station-Naming. The winning slogan will be announced the week of Thanksgiving.
“It’s a fun naming opportunity where people can have their name on the sign above the pet station and their pet’s name. We’ll put up as many signs as we think are needed,” Sharkey said. “You can never have too many pet stations because you can’t predict when your dog will need to pick up after them.”
