2022 Pooper Scooper Troopers!

“Best Dressed” for the Dog Poop Cleanup Award!

On May 13th 2022, in partnership with Run Dog Run, the City of Bozeman, and the Bozeman Library, GWC hosted a Dog Waste Cleanup Event to address the issue of dog waste entering our waterways.

Over 30 volunteers participated covering 7 different sites around Bozeman and battled the wind to help prevent nitrogen, phosphorus, and colony-forming units of fecal coliform in the form of dog waste from entering our local waterways.

Unlike the wildlife that occupies our watershed, our dogs eat nutrient-rich food produced by factories that leave behind phosphorus, nitrogen, e.coli, and various forms of bacteria when excreted. As the poo is carried to our local streams via stormwater runoff, we see the results in the Lower Gallatin Watershed - algal blooms from excess nutrients, the presence of e.coli in our water and soil, and the possibility for disease transmission amongst humans and pets.

Where does all the poo go? After the waste is collected, it eventually ends its life cycle in a landfill - away from the water resources that we rely on for drinking, native habitat, and recreation!

Please remember that when you are out for a stroll with your pup to do your duty and pick up the doodie - and to remember to dispose of the bags once it is collected!

A big thank you to our partners for their supplies and support in making this event possible! We are also extremely grateful to the volunteers to came out and dedicated their time to protecting our watershed!

For more information on the impacts of dog waste on our watershed, click here.