Watch Where You Step: Foothills Trail Looking For Creative Solution To Dog Poop On Hiking Trails

NEVADA CITY (CBS13) — There's a poop problem in the foothills, and now a conservation group is asking the community for a creative solution the stinky situation.

After finding 78 piles of dog poop in a quarter-mile of the Hirschman Trail in Nevada City, trail runner Brent Frasier says it's clear people need to be more diligent with their dog's dung.

"I think it's the kind of the 'pack it in, pack it out' similar to camping," he said. "I think it's important to not leave something behind that's unpleasant."

The poop problem isn't just unpleasant; it can be hazardous to the health of other creatures and can run off into local waterways.

"Those poop piles, they carry harmful bacteria, parasites, fecal coliform bacteria," said Melony Vance with the Bear Yuba Land Trust.

So the group is asking local kids to come up with a creative picture and phrase to put on new signs.

"It's bringing awareness; it starts conversations," she said. "We just launched this campaign on Saturday, and I've already had people coming up to me saying, 'Thank you so much for doing that. It's really great.'"

The group got the idea from witty signs posted around Santa Cruz saying "There is no poop fairy."

"If it just says 'Pick up the poop,' OK, the people, in and out," she said. "They don't really register it. But if it's entertaining, if it's funny."

They will take entries all summer and will pick a winner or winners in September, with the signs going up soon after.

The poop project contest is open to anyone under 18 living in Nevada County.

Entry forms can be picked up at the Bear Yuba Land Trust at 12183 Auburn Rd. in Grass Valley or at the South Yuba River Citizens League at 313 Railroad Ave., Suite 101 in Nevada City.

The form can also be downloaded here.