Category Archives: Park Abuser

This ‘n that…

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It’s already May 22nd and yet the gates to Raymore Park are left wide open every night. This despite a call to 311 last week.

Park gates open at 11:00 pm May 21st.

Park gates open at 11:00 pm May 21st.

May 20th was the Victoria Day holiday. Because the gates were left open, a group of people held a fireworks party on the grass by the parking lot.

Every year it’s the same. Surely the date cannot come by surprise? Gimme the friggin’ key and I’ll lock it up.

Postscript: As of early June, the park is being locked up regularly but interestingly it re-opens between 3 and 4 a.m.

Earlier on the 20th, a young deer ambled down through the park quite unconcerned with the large numbers of people. A few people stopped to watch before it disappeared into the sumac behind the unused ball diamonds.

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Fortunately there were no dogs on the loose – like this one that is allowed to chase park wildlife.

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Image courtesy of Code Monkey.

On a further seasonal note, mosquitoes are back. The woods at the bottom of the park are home to some of the most aggressive bugs known to humanity. They managed to give me a matching welt on each arm.

Lastly, some fungus caught my eye. It’s a type of bracket fungus commonly named Turkey Tail. It breaks down dead and diseased wood.

Trametes versicolor - Turkey Tail Fungus.

Trametes versicolor – Turkey Tail Fungus.

Warm weather brings problems

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The onset of  warmer weather is the worst possible time for wildlife in the park. Many animals are in the most crucial part of their reproductive cycle and increased numbers of people add a considerable burden to their lives. Fortunately, numbers decrease as the season progresses and the novelty wears off. Today, this gentleman let his very active dog off leash at the entrance of the park and it ran to the footbridge flushing out wildlife as it went, causing considerable distress to wildlife, pedestrians and cyclists. Many people seem to regard the park as a leash free zone.

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Face obscured.

This lady decided that the zoom on her camera was insufficient so she had to impose herself on these poor geese, giving them no option but to leave their peninsula. The small island in the distance is about the only safe place for nesting birds and other animals.

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On a happier note a pair of American Black Ducks were waddling in a corner of the park this morning, snacking on new growth and happily out of sight of unleashed dogs. It’s possible that they are in the process of migrating from the southern U.S. to summer grounds further north although some stay here year-round.

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Community clean-up day.

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Today is Community Clean-up Day and in honour of the day, I brought a plastic shopping bag with me and went through the wild area with Mugsey. It’s bitterly cold today and with the temperature just above zero the park was almost empty.

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A typical collection of garbage found in the wild area.

Amongst other bits of human detritus there was a glove, many plastic bags and wrappers, 4 plastic bottles, 1 bag of dog poo (left by my friend ‘Dave)’, a couple of other bags of dog poo, a grade 9 math text, chunks of styrofoam, cigarette packs etc.

Not a bad haul and I could have filled another bag in the wild area alone but since every day is clean-up day for me, it can wait until tomorrow. Another bag or two and the wild area should be clear of trash. The theory goes that people are more reluctant to drop litter if the place is clean.

There was one other person in the park, a lady with a very active small dog that seemed bent on chasing wildlife. When our paths crossed I gave her the greeting reserved for such occasions, ‘Hey, did you see the coyote when you went through there?’. The dog was put on leash in an instant and the two of them beat a hasty retreat. I hate lying but wildlife has a tough enough time in the park without being harassed by off-leash dogs and their inconsiderate owners.

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A couple of mysteries solved.

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A couple of updates while we’re waiting for spring.

I discovered the identity of the ‘Douche’ who has been leaving packages of dog poo around the park. Yesterday, I brought a plastic shopping bag with me so that I could grab the odd bits of litter as I walked through the park. I passed by the lower entrance to the woods and the pile of bags that were left there all winter. There were four of them and another three along the way including a fresh one hanging on a tree. Into the plastic bag with all of them.

Before...

Before… notice the very old one at 11 o’clock from the newer pile of 3.

After!

After!

After doing my civic duty (and seething about the fresh bag of dog crap left hanging on a tree), I was talking about the ‘Poo Bomber‘ (also mentioned here) to a fellow dog owner; let’s call him Dave, and he said, ‘That’s me. Rather than carry them all the way through the park, I leave them and pick them up later’. Needless to say I was gobsmacked and mentioned that many had not been picked up. ‘That’s not me’, Dave insisted. This was just after picking up seven identical bags scattered through the woods – including the one on the tree. I didn’t press the point but at least I’m not watching out for who it is any more. Hopefully Dave will get the hint from now on. I mentioned that I keep a blog and he keeps telling me he’ll get around to reading it. I guess I’ll know when he does.

As for what I thought was a BMX track in the woods, I saw it in use the other day. A couple of adults and a small child came down the hill following a remote controlled toy truck of some kind. The track is for the toy and everyone stands and watches this thing trundle its way over the course. Go figure.

Hidden worlds

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You’ve got to admire the resourcefulness of some people. This mini BMX circuit is well hidden and is the illegal labour of love of some parent. I remember seeing a man during the March Break who appeared to be clearing up litter in a wooded area. I should have known that few people actually pick up litter in Raymore Park. Instead of tidying up, he was labouring with at least one of his kids to produce this.

The hidden track.

The hidden track.

Every one of the branches forming this raised track is nailed to the wood below so this has taken a lot of time (and nails).

It's a thing of beauty, bringing to mind a dinosaur skeleton.

It’s a thing of beauty in a primitive way, bringing to mind a dinosaur skeleton.

 

I’ve no idea how usable it is but it’s definitely an interesting structure to stumble across. You almost expect to see Robinson Crusoe coming through the woods.

There's an earth track between the yellow tapes.

There are dirt tracks between the yellow tapes.

The dirt tracks between the tapes will certainly form a channel during rain and will eventually erode the hillside. I suspect the course is a little too challenging as I’ve never seen anyone using it.

There’s no faulting the motivation of this parent. Unfortunately, he has scarred the ground and littered the park with a structure that could present a danger to humans and wildlife. While I assume that shrubs and trees weren’t chopped down for this, branches taken from the forest floor could well have been home to overwintering insects and small vertebrates. When this thing is abandoned and falls apart, the nails will be around for years.

It’s another example of someone feeling comfortable in creating a clearly illegal structure in Raymore Park and shows an astonishing lack of respect for public parkland.

 

Park pariahs

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Yesterday I encountered two people in the park who, although well meaning, are a detriment to wildlife.

How long have we known that bread is bad for ducks and geese?

How long have we known that bread is bad for ducks and geese?

This old boy is one of a few who regularly feed Canada Geese and Mallards at this spot just above the weir. In fact, anytime you approach the water in this area, birds will swim over anticipating a free (but potentially harmful) meal.

Here’s pariah number two. She was skating along with her very active dog off leash, no doubt congratulating herself for exercising the unfortunate animal. As I approached with my dog, it was evident she had no leash and had to hold onto her dog’s choke chain in order to keep it close. All this without missing a stride!

I'm such a free spirit, I don't leash my dog.

Such a free spirit, she doesn’t even bother bringing a leash.

Once she passed us, the dog was released and went on its way, flushing wildlife in its path. I have never seen this young lady and her dog before and probably won’t see her again but it’s hard to understand how people can be so cavalier about the responsibility of animal ownership and the effect an uncontrolled dog has on wildlife in a park setting.

A magical day and the MNR.

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Today was the calm before the storm and it was perfect with little wind and a bright warm sun.

Snow on log and lichen.

Snow on log and lichen.

By the weir, a couple of fishermen were preparing to catch something – I’m sure they were too close to the weir and probably gaining an unfair advantage thanks to the ice enclosing the river at that point. Personally, I don’t see the attraction of eating fish that will have spent several years gathering Great Lakes pollutants from lower down in the food chain.

Do people really like fish this much?

The unspeakable in search of the inedible (apologies to Oscar Wilde).

There is a hotline to call if wildlife regulations are being broken. I looked at the Ministry of Natural Resources site to attempt to find out if people can fish this close to the weir but navigating the site to find that information requires more tenacity than I possess.

Hello, Sault Sainte Marie!

Hello, Sault Sainte Marie!

A fellow dog walker tells me that on one occasion he phoned the line to report people who were helping themselves to large quantities of wood (after they had arrived in the park by leaving Scarlett Road by the Ukrainian War Memorial and driving about 1km along the bike path ). He was trying to describe the location to the MNR employee but she was totally unfamiliar with the area as she was in Sault Sainte Marie! My friend used his phone to photograph them and their truck and that seemed to deter them from further plunder.

One time I saw a well-heeled matron and her daughter carrying armfuls of tall grasses, bulrushes and wildflowers from the park up to their SUV. I challenged the lady and she indignantly retorted that she had the right to do this as it was a public place and she ‘paid taxes’! Great example for the daughter who was no doubt mortified by the mother’s actions. I haven’t seen them since so hopefully I shamed them into obtaining their next nature displays from legitimate sources.

Dog owning dimwit

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Notice the proximity to the garbage can.

Note the proximity to the garbage can.

Most dog owners are fairly conscientious about their animal’s droppings. There is however one idiot who makes a practice of leaving the full bag of crap along the pathways frequented mainly by other dog owners. I have no idea what the motivation is for preserving the excrement in plastic other than bone idleness and lack of consideration. The result of this dimwit’s anti-social behaviour is a series of excrement-filled bags scattered throughout the park. In some places, there is even a pile of the bags; perhaps a favourite spot to desecrate although it’s possibly secluded enough for them to drop the bag with impunity. This idiot gives all dog owners a bad name.

The bags are distinctive; small and white with two handles that form loops.

31st December 2012; Not so welcome ‘wildlife’.

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The lesser spotted Ski-donkey.

A disturbance in sight, sound and smell today as the calm of the park was shattered so that the gentleman riding could possibly compensate for his small penis.

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This is the second occasion on which he has made a foray into the park (which clearly prohibits motorized vehicles). He focussed on driving around the baseball diamonds and stayed well clear when he caught sight of my camera; thinking he was safe from photography at this distance! He seems to be entering the park from the southern end.

More on the camera later.