Gimme Snow Shelter | The Source Weekly - Bend, Oregon

Gimme Snow Shelter

Editor's note: This letter comes in response to a recent Guest Commentary, Dog Owners Deserve Equal Opportunities, 2-23, from DogPAC's Kreg Lindberg.

Nice letter. I share your desire to create a dog-friendly snow-play area larger than what exists at Wanoga. It's a shame that it's temporary and can't be expanded. You don't say why that is and who told you that. It's hard to believe, given that so much land exists that already allows dogs.

You refer to the only logical choice for a groomed track for dog-lovers as the Nordeen Plateau. Yes, it's surrounded by the Tangent Loop, but it's heavily used by cross country skiers on single track and snowshoers (on their own separate loop system), with both sharing the Nordeen Shelter. Did you forget that? How to plan to address that major conflict? You don't say that either. Do you plan to groom the existing trail system? Are you going to create an entirely new trail for dogs only?

Yes, the Swampy parking lot is huge, sometimes only half full on weekends, but it's getting more use every year due to the overflow from Meissner. How would you access the Nordeen Plateau from the lot, crossing the Tangent Loop? Another conflict.

I suggest you come up with a plan on paper for the Wanoga Area, something that the Bend Community can actually see. You might gain a lot more support that way, rather than trying to take over an area used by generations of people for their love of snow play, be it skiing or snowshoeing. Your new area could even have a shelter of its own, rather than allow dogs to use the Nordeen Shelter as their urinal.

Sir, respect other people and what they care about, and one day DogPAC will succeed.

Thank you.

- A long, long, long-time resident

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