Len, who doesn’t want his last name published, kneels beside Forbes wetlands, where someone dumped piles of waste there recently. Photo by Lyonel Doherty
UPDATE:
An Oliver resident is sounding the alarm about an environmental travesty perpetrated against Forbes wetlands on Meadows Drive.
But as it turns out, the culprit is probably a jolly woman wearing a babooshka, a floured apron, and possibly carrying a rolling pin, according to Public Works employee Mark Jamieson.
Len, who didn’t want his last name published, showed the Chronicle where someone dumped what looked like renovation waste on the banks of the wetlands (beside the walking trail).
There were three or four piles of it – a yellowy paste material, some of which was splattered on a tree, leaving a stain.
Len shook his head in disgust, suspecting that a nearby resident doing renovations was the culprit.
He expressed concern about the environmental impact of the deed, and the danger to local pets who might ingest the material.
Local farmer Gordon Forbes (the wetlands were named after his family) took a look at the situation and said the material looked like paint.
“It looks like they threw it towards the wetland and it splattered on the trees.”
Forbes said he was very disheartened to see the mess, worried that it could leach into the water.
The wetlands are home to a number of wildlife species, including some at-risk such as the painted turtle and the Great Basin Spadefoot (toad).
Forbes characterized the dumping of waste in a protected wetland as “sick.” Why not just dump the waste in a garbage bag?
The organic farmer said it takes a lot more time and effort dumping garbage in an area like this than it does putting the waste in the trash.
Forbes stated he would like to see fines handed out in this case.
But Jamieson said he investigated the complaint and discovered that the material was nothing more than yeast. He subsequently cleaned it up and was considering putting out an all-points bulletin on the floured culprit.
By Lyonel Doherty
