AUSTIN, Texas — With spring underway and warmer temperatures on the way, the Barton Creek Greenbelt is a great place to cool off and hang out.
But the Austin Parks and Recreation Department wants to remind you: clean up after yourself and keep your dog on a leash.
"If we're not all being thoughtful about how respectful we are with the land, then that's when it can become trashed or trashy," LeAnn Ishcomer said.
Ishcomer is a parks ranger program manager with Parks and Rec. She gave KVUE a tour of the greenbelt through the Spyglass trail head in an effort to raise awareness about the department's "Leave No Trace" campaign.
Within the first few minutes of the hike, Ishcomer found a bag of dog poop.
"Great first step. The second step would be to take that with you when you leave," she said. "When you leave your pet waste with the bag and it rains, all of that stuff goes into our waterways and your drinking water."
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But that's not all people leave behind at the greenbelt, which is both a park and a preserve.
Trash is a big problem, and it's one of the reasons behind "Leave No Trace."
"We don't have the staff to [clean up the greenbelt] every minute of every day, but we do eventually come down here and get it cleaned up," Ishcomer said.
Another problem park rangers have been dealing with is dogs running around without a leash.
"We have some species here that are endangered species, like the golden-cheeked warbler, and they are impacted by off-leash dogs and partying and trash and stuff that we leave on the greenbelt," she said.
To put the issue into perspective, the department made about 1,200 contacts or one-on-one conversations with dog owners in 2015. In just the past six months, park rangers have made about 1,700 contacts.
Ishcomer calls it an "epidemic."
"That's indicating to us that we need to work even harder to help people understand why," she said.
At many of the greenbelt's entrances, the department has placed signs reminding people of its rules. Ishcomer hopes its visitors read them.
"We try to make sure that when you guys go out to the parks that you take everything that you brought in back with you -- hopefully, except for the experience. You'll keep that with you as you well," she said.
If you see trash along the greenbelt, give 311 a call.
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