How to be a Jerk, Blame Someone Else, and Spoil a Good Thing for Everybody Else
Here in Boulder, there are lots of great trails. People love to walk their dogs, run, bike, hike, and enjoy the great natural areas. One of these areas is Boulder Reservoir. From the Boulder Reservoir north for about 11 miles is the Boulder Feeder Canal, and along the canal is an unpaved access road. This road is perfect for long runs (my favorite) and walks.
The only problem is that this access road is private property, owned by the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District. All along the path, there are No Trespassing signs. There are gates at each road crossing (easy to hop over). Plus (the coolest), signs all along the canal saying "Certain Death If Entered".
The city has been negotiating for years for the right to build an official trail along the canal, but it will likely be many years before that ever happens. In the meantime, there has been a mutual unstated agreement. People use the road, and they are pretty much left alone. They stay out of the canal (I guess the certain death signs work). Until recently.
It seems that a dog that was being walked along the canal got into the water and got caught in the current. The dog's guardian (we're not allowed to say "dog owner" in Boulder) was able to rescue the dog, but followed the incident up by threatening to sue the NCWCD anyway.
Let's see if I have this right. You ignore the no trespassing signs, you ignore the certain death signs and allow your dog to swim in the canal, and you are shocked that the water really is dangerous to your pet. Luckily, you are able to rescue your dog, but in spite of this, you still threaten to sue the owner of the canal. That's got to make the NCWCD feel good about letting you (or anybody else) come back and use the access road.
Occasionally, the water district uses the road to access and service the canal, the reason the road exists in the first place. When this happens, you'd think that the runners who are technically trespassing would stay out of their way. But apparently not. Some runners have been refusing to yield to their trucks.
So, now it's over. The water district has asked the sheriff's office to start enforcing the no trespassing signs and has stated that they will press charges against people who violate them. I can't say that I blame them.
I have one less place to run now, and for this I thank the selfish people who mistook their ability to use this restricted resource as an entitlement rather than a gift. I hope that these jerks learned something, or at least that they move somewhere where folks are less friendly to dogs and runners.
The only problem is that this access road is private property, owned by the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District. All along the path, there are No Trespassing signs. There are gates at each road crossing (easy to hop over). Plus (the coolest), signs all along the canal saying "Certain Death If Entered".
The city has been negotiating for years for the right to build an official trail along the canal, but it will likely be many years before that ever happens. In the meantime, there has been a mutual unstated agreement. People use the road, and they are pretty much left alone. They stay out of the canal (I guess the certain death signs work). Until recently.
It seems that a dog that was being walked along the canal got into the water and got caught in the current. The dog's guardian (we're not allowed to say "dog owner" in Boulder) was able to rescue the dog, but followed the incident up by threatening to sue the NCWCD anyway.
Let's see if I have this right. You ignore the no trespassing signs, you ignore the certain death signs and allow your dog to swim in the canal, and you are shocked that the water really is dangerous to your pet. Luckily, you are able to rescue your dog, but in spite of this, you still threaten to sue the owner of the canal. That's got to make the NCWCD feel good about letting you (or anybody else) come back and use the access road.
Occasionally, the water district uses the road to access and service the canal, the reason the road exists in the first place. When this happens, you'd think that the runners who are technically trespassing would stay out of their way. But apparently not. Some runners have been refusing to yield to their trucks.
So, now it's over. The water district has asked the sheriff's office to start enforcing the no trespassing signs and has stated that they will press charges against people who violate them. I can't say that I blame them.
I have one less place to run now, and for this I thank the selfish people who mistook their ability to use this restricted resource as an entitlement rather than a gift. I hope that these jerks learned something, or at least that they move somewhere where folks are less friendly to dogs and runners.
posted by insomniac | 9:45 PM
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