I just had five days of peace at home. All I did was rest. I didn't check any goals off my to-do list. Each day I had a fleeting thought about whether to write this post. Before I venture back to the outdoor world, I'm gonna give it a go.
Last Tuesday morning as I drove by the Bison, I stopped and took photos of the main meadow. This marked the fourth or fifth time I've done this since summer started.
Last September, two weeks shy of exactly a year ago, I wrote yet another post about the Bison, titled, "Bison Meadow Saga - Fall Update & My New Idea". It basically gave an updated overview of my most recent efforts to try and get the RecPark to finally fix the main meadow Sprinkler, so the Bison could have appropriate vegetation to graze on. It also included an idea for removing the patches of toxic weed that has been growing there. The following month, in another post I mentioned that I had shared that idea with the appropriate person on the Zoo Staff, as I figured the RecPark isn't going to do it, maybe the Zoo could make it a Renew the Zoo project. I also noted I would be pausing my efforts, as I had done all I could do. I noted that I would still monitor the situation and update in June, after the rainy season that leaves the meadow green, and the start of summer that dries out the meadow and leaves it brown and void of any edible vegetation.
For those who don't know, since I used the word toxic, I want to note that the Bison do not bother with those weeds, so there is no danger to them. Additionally since edible vegetation is scarce, Zoo Keepers put out additional food to supplement what they don't get from optimum natural grazing behavior.
It's unfortunate that no one thought removing these weeds was beneficial, as now, with the high winds last winter seed must have blown fierce as those weeds have tripled and now cover a majority of the meadow. Any green that is seen, is those weeds. It's an illusion. Not edible vegetation for the Bison. Not green landscape. That is the brown you see. Anything edible is dried out from no water.
Taken last Tuesday
This is a good place to note that the purpose of this post, at this time is pure documentation. I had planned to just update Supervisor Connie Chan, as I asked for her assistance in my efforts last year. Considering the state of increasing dry in the last five months, I thought she should know, contrary to what the RecPark told us over a year ago, apparently they never fixed the Sprinklers. I did not plan to blog about Bison any further.
I did start that update post in June, but after asking the Zoo Staffer what happened with my idea, and being told higher ups deemed the toxic weed removal not something they wanted to pursue, I really just thought, fuck it all. With the exception of a mention in my August 16 post titled, "Long Winded Management and City Officials Bullshit Wrap-Up", about this and RecPark's Sprinkler fail, among other things Bison and Zoo related, I was done.
Then bullshit happened.
After stopping by the Bison last Tuesday, I went to the Zoo. I heard a rumor that someone made a call about the Bison, and the Zoo was pinning it on me. I ran into someone, and straightened that out right quick, but this does need some unpacking.
First, I don't do anything Anonymously. For eighteen years of Zoo concerns, my name has been on everything I do. Second, the call was allegedly asking Why the Bison were in the back enclosure. This is not to make what I post self-important, but someone there should be following along, and if they had been they should know, my concerns have pretty much exclusively been the Sprinkler issue, and in the last year that toxic weed removal. I asked a Keeper about the Ladies being in the back after seeing them there several weeks in a row, as I was curious if work was going to be done on the Sprinklers or weeds, which requires access to main meadow. Other than that I trust what the Keepers do. Third, there is a handful+ of people on Staff who know how to get a hold of me, someone should have asked if it was me, before labeling it with my name.
This only other thing about this that I will note is, I find it odd that an inquiry regarding something that is seemingly nothing more than a curiosity, needed to have blame attached to it. Considering it obviously had to have been anonymous, the Zoo or RecPark could have posted the answer to the question to social media, but instead it was put on me, and addressing a member of the public's concern, whether mine or as it was, someone else's, it was ignored.
Circling back to the RecPark, who's obligation it is to maintain the Bison Paddock as a whole, in previous posts I have noted in addition to their failure regarding the Sprinkler and toxic weeds, that the signage around the enclosure fencing needs replacing. I'm going to repeat this as in my opinion, the multi-placement of these signs that have previously read, DOGS MUST BE HELD ON LEASH IN THIS AREA OF THE PARK, is important. There are hardly any of these signs left and all but one that I saw, look like this...
Note that the RecPark is well aware of these concerns, as I send blog posts the Commissioners.
These signs are not for nothing. Dog owners ignore leash laws, and one got into the back enclosure not long after the arrival of the last group of babie Bison, and one lost it's life. That alone should be a reason that these signs are up, clearly readable, and placed continuously along the whole perimeter. That said, I believe the Dog got in through an existing access point. The day after that tragedy I walked the entire perimeter and was able to stick my foot under the fence in thirty-six places. These holes either started by Dogs off leash or Coyotes, should have been securely filled by RecPark who is supposed to check daily that the entire fence line is secure. Some of these holes just had pine cones stuck in them. Big Fail.
For that post I was going to do this summer, I made this comparison to what the sign in the front of the main meadow looks like. The RecPark cares so little, they let the attraction's main signage continue to look like shit with the same graffiti for near a year. There is no regular attention to it. It looked the same with some additional graffiti last week.
Additionally, the Bison attract many visitors. When they are in the back enclosure, they are hard to see. A park neighbor who I know, also loves the Bison and visits them on her daily walk. She had an idea and contacted RecPark and suggested they put a sign directing visitors around to the west side for viewing. That was over a year ago. We both continue to direct people ourselves when we are there. No reason people shouldn't be able to get the closest look possible of Our Beautiful Ladies.
