Basin Rec opted to temporarily close the pond, off Old Ranch Road, because rangers saw more dog-wildlife conflicts than normal this year.
Ranger Supervisor Aaron Williams told KPCW people even encouraged their dogs to chase a family of young ducklings using the pond as a resting area.
Basin Recreation Director Dana Jones said some parkgoers have not respected the closure since it was posted July 8.
“We still have had some vandalism – people taking the gates off the hinges to get in and stealing the closure signs,” she said on KPCW’s “Local News Hour” July 21.
She said it’s imperative for dog owners to be able to control their pets, including maintaining voice recall even in off-leash areas.
“We really need to be able to rely on people and positive behaviors,” she said.
The pond primarily exists for irrigation. Skating in the winter and dog access in the summer are secondary uses.
Jones asked people to do their part to treat the park and their neighbors with respect.
“We really do need people to kind of rally around this and behave correctly, and we’ll hopefully get that pond open soon,” she said.
She said Basin Rec staff are evaluating the closure every week to determine when to reopen the area.
Basin Recreation is a financial supporter of KPCW. For a full list, click here.
