UPDATE: This is noted in the last comment, but since comments are sometimes bypassed, I will post it here as it is the root of this issue. ...
After viewing the People Behaving Badly video on KRON, I emailed them and asked about the 50 lbs of Dry Ice that was shown that was not in the Lake. They replied to my email today with this quote, "The dry ice was left in the event and the cleanup crew dumped the ice in the Lake". SO now we have a culprit to the offense. What will be done about it? Time will tell.
I have to start by saying, and I know this will probably not be the popular sentiment, but I am over all the events in the Park. There are just too many. I don't like the road closures for days on end. I don't like the crowds it brings to the west-end. It just creates too much of a hubbub in a part of the City where it should be peaceful.After the three-day road closure for the Outside Lands concert less than two months ago, this past weekend saw yet another three-day concert event, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass.
My aggravation started last week. I was already bothered about the road closures that were posted as starting 9/30. I went to feed the friends on Thursday, before the three-day closure and the roads were already closed! Not sure about the Park and Rec's, but my calendar states Thursday was the 29th.The event ended yesterday and this morning the roads were still closed! That counts a five-day closure. Thankfully when I checked back early afternoon there was access to JFK where Lloyd Lake is.I drove up and the Lake was bubbling! It was downright volcanic! I was livid! There was Dry Ice in the Lake! Where Wildlife live! It was horrifying!I documented with the video and photos you see here. I could see the Dry Ice (cakes) under each of the approximate dozen eruption points. My thought immediately went to the Event. I do not believe in coincidences. I do not believe this would have happened if this event had not happened. In my opinion, someone associated with the Event break-down, used the Lake to dump unused/leftover Dry Ice.I immediately called the Park Patrol. As usual (and why is this?) they never have anyone to send. Not for this, not for wildlife abuse, not for people taking a crap, nothing. I called the non-emergency Police dispatch. They said they would send someone out. I then noticed one of the Park Ranger vehicles, and when I turned around he was there, having just finished taking photos of his own. I asked what he thought and he said what I thought, most likely Event Vendors. I asked him if he was going to question the Staff breaking the event down. The answer was no, but he was going to make a report. This was not enough, someone should be held responsible.I went and fed the friends and the Police had still not arrived. I went over to the Event site across the street and questioned the only guy I saw. He said he saw a van drive up and dump it. Interesting as he could not describe the van or the people, but he saw that it was Dry Ice they were dumping. I called the Police back and they hadn't even been dispatched yet. I asked the operator what I should do with the information and photos I had, she offered that I could go to the Neighborhood Station. I went to the Richmond Station as I really felt that someone needed to further question the Staff who was breaking the Event down. Really, should it be some random gal (ME!) in a Hello Kitty sweatshirt conducting the only investigation?The Officers I talked to (outside the Station) did go out to the Lake, but with the bubbling fizzled out and them not being an eye-witness, they couldn't do anything about it.So, not only did I hear a constant stream of Emergency vehicle sirens all weekend, in addition to helicopters, now someone uses the Lake to dump dangerous foreign matter into a water source that is home to Park Wildlife.Regardless of whether (in my opinion most probable) it was an Event Vendor or some transient passer-thru, I believe that the amount of people these Events draw, should not be in the Park. There is just too much damage to be done and obviously not the man-power to control it.The Park Ranger told me this Event is all wrapped up in politics, so its unlikely they will have a change of venue. I can only hope that in light of this, next year they prohibit their Vendors from using Dry Ice.
My aggravation started last week. I was already bothered about the road closures that were posted as starting 9/30. I went to feed the friends on Thursday, before the three-day closure and the roads were already closed! Not sure about the Park and Rec's, but my calendar states Thursday was the 29th.The event ended yesterday and this morning the roads were still closed! That counts a five-day closure. Thankfully when I checked back early afternoon there was access to JFK where Lloyd Lake is.I drove up and the Lake was bubbling! It was downright volcanic! I was livid! There was Dry Ice in the Lake! Where Wildlife live! It was horrifying!I documented with the video and photos you see here. I could see the Dry Ice (cakes) under each of the approximate dozen eruption points. My thought immediately went to the Event. I do not believe in coincidences. I do not believe this would have happened if this event had not happened. In my opinion, someone associated with the Event break-down, used the Lake to dump unused/leftover Dry Ice.I immediately called the Park Patrol. As usual (and why is this?) they never have anyone to send. Not for this, not for wildlife abuse, not for people taking a crap, nothing. I called the non-emergency Police dispatch. They said they would send someone out. I then noticed one of the Park Ranger vehicles, and when I turned around he was there, having just finished taking photos of his own. I asked what he thought and he said what I thought, most likely Event Vendors. I asked him if he was going to question the Staff breaking the event down. The answer was no, but he was going to make a report. This was not enough, someone should be held responsible.I went and fed the friends and the Police had still not arrived. I went over to the Event site across the street and questioned the only guy I saw. He said he saw a van drive up and dump it. Interesting as he could not describe the van or the people, but he saw that it was Dry Ice they were dumping. I called the Police back and they hadn't even been dispatched yet. I asked the operator what I should do with the information and photos I had, she offered that I could go to the Neighborhood Station. I went to the Richmond Station as I really felt that someone needed to further question the Staff who was breaking the Event down. Really, should it be some random gal (ME!) in a Hello Kitty sweatshirt conducting the only investigation?The Officers I talked to (outside the Station) did go out to the Lake, but with the bubbling fizzled out and them not being an eye-witness, they couldn't do anything about it.So, not only did I hear a constant stream of Emergency vehicle sirens all weekend, in addition to helicopters, now someone uses the Lake to dump dangerous foreign matter into a water source that is home to Park Wildlife.Regardless of whether (in my opinion most probable) it was an Event Vendor or some transient passer-thru, I believe that the amount of people these Events draw, should not be in the Park. There is just too much damage to be done and obviously not the man-power to control it.The Park Ranger told me this Event is all wrapped up in politics, so its unlikely they will have a change of venue. I can only hope that in light of this, next year they prohibit their Vendors from using Dry Ice.
