Waste station for dog droppings installed along Rolling Prairie Trail

The Rolling Prairie Trail recently received a resource to remind dog walkers to pick up after pooches.

Earlier this month, Franklin County Conservation installed a dog waste pickup station near the Rotary Club Gazebo on the Rolling Prairie Trail. The station includes three slots for waste bags that can be turned inside out for easy pickup. A trash can has been placed by the station for easy disposal.

“The box has instructions how to use it, it has rolls of bags that are perforated so you just have to pull on a bag and it’ll tear off,” said Franklin County Conservation Director Ned Parker. “There’s a garbage can next to the station, but if you use a bag later in the walk, you can use one of the garbage cans on the trail.”

Parker said two more stations are planned; another one for some point on the trail and one possibly by Progress Park.

Parker said the waste stations were funded through the 5-2-1-0 Program, which provided the community with $25,000 for groups and programs to use to fund projects that will improve the health and well being of the community.

He said the stations are important, because dog waste left on the trail is not only unsightly, it can create additional messes and may even carry diseases and parasites in certain cases.

“For those people who are using the trail, they don’t want to step in it,” he said. “We just ask to pick up after your dog and dispose of your waste properly.”