NORTHAMPTON — Armed with rakes, gloves, shovels and bags, roughly 30 volunteers fanned out along the trails of Smith Farms Field on Saturday, cleaning up dog waste and trash that had accumulated over the winter.
The cleanup was organized by retired Northampton businesswoman and former city councilor Judith Fine.
“It is all about being respectful, responsible and keeping this gem of an area clean so that we can continue to enjoy it,” Fine said.
The cleanup went from 8 a.m. until noon. As volunteers arrived, Fine handed out large heavy-duty trash bags and directed people onto the trails. The strategy was to rake out debris and droppings 6 feet out from either side of the trail.
Bags were filled and left on the paths to be picked up by other volunteers and disposed of in dumpsters donated for the event by Valley Recycling.
Carol Owen of Northampton said she thought a spring cleanup was a great idea.
“I think people are pretty diligent about picking up during the nicer weather,” she said, holding a large bag open for Michael Posner of Northampton as he tossed in a shovel full of leaves and dog excrement.
“But when winter comes, they are not as vigilant,” she said, standing just within the trailhead near the parking lot. “Like right here, it is pretty lucrative!” she said.
Valued by many dog owners and dog walkers in the city, the area is known unofficially as the Northampton Dog Park, and has been used for years as a place where people walk their dogs off leash.
The property, however, is actually owned by the state, leased to the city of Northampton, and overseen by the board of trustees of Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School.
“This is a way to be give back to the trustees and to the city and show our appreciation of this absolute gem of an area,” Fine said.
Jennifer Chrisler of Northampton and her dog Brady were walking with former Northampton resident Donna Lisker, now of Tiverton, Rhode Island, and her dog Georgia on Saturday. Chrisler had not heard about the cleanup, but said she gave the effort “a big thumbs-up.”
“I think there has been a huge difference in the past two years and a really substantial effort to keep the place clean and to co-exist with Smith Vocational,” Chrisler said.
Volunteer Chris Nearey, who is originally from New Zealand and now lives in Northampton, said he and his dogs love the area.
“I use this place twice a day, so it is very important to me be responsible and help clean it up,” he said. “I have two Basenjis, and if they didn’t have this, they would be nuts.”
Nearey said dog parks like this one are rare in other parts of the world where he has lived, like New Zealand and England.
“Other places are very restrictive and it’s hard to find any place where you can let your dog run,” he said. “So this is really very special.”
Fred Baumgarten, who recently relocated to Northampton from Connecticut, said it is important for dog owners to respect the places they walk their dogs.
“We only had a fenced-in dog park there,” he said, “but the rule was, ‘leave one, pick one up!’”
Fine said that if her dogs run off into the woods to relieve themselves and she cannot get to the spot to retrieve the droppings, she will do what she calls a “penance poop pickup” after someone else who has not cleaned up after their dog on her way out of the area.
For those folks who think leaving dog poop out in nature is just fine because it will naturally compost, think again.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency lists pet waste left on lawns, streets, fields, and in the vicinity of lakes, rivers or streams, as a significant source of non-point pollution.
The EPA also notes that dog waste contains a variety of pathogens and diseases that can be passed to humans, including campylobacteriosis, salmonellosis, toxocariasis, and antibiotic-resistant strains of E. coli.
Other dogs who come in contact with contaminated areas can be exposed to the diseases and spread them as well.
Waste may also contain parasites like roundworm and hookworms.
While it may be argued that wildlife obviously defecates in the woods, the scope and amount is minuscule when compared to large amounts of dog waste accumulating in concentrated areas.
When asked if she would organize another spring cleanup in the future, Fine said she would have to see how this one turned out.
The real hope is that people will continue to clean up after their dogs, and encourage others to do the same throughout the year, she added.
“My goal for today was to clean up from here at the parking lot, down to the river, and I think we have achieved that,” Fine said.