06 July 2013

Hummel Park Degradation Continues Due to Disc Golf

Degradation of distinctive natural features associated with Hummel Park is continuing to occur. On a recent visit the following pictures were taken to document obvious concerns and problems. They are only a sample, as there certainly could be other sordid occurrences, but the morning's purpose was bird watching.

Firework trash at a disc golf tee among the hills. Fireworks are usually "shot-off" at night, and which is obviously too much of a disruption for a forest area. Fireworks should be banned from Hummel Park. And to add insult to injury, the people that did this, could not even pick up their trash. How pathetic.

Trash left at the same disc golf tee. Note how barren the hillside is due to vegetative clearing.

More fireworks trash at the same spot among the woods.

The nearby hillside, which has been basically denuded of native vegetation. Thankfully the hill is a "hard-soil" type and not prone to immediate erosion, though it will certainly occur eventually.

A recently cut-down tree snag. Apparently the perps think they can remove any vegetation they might care to, or to cut down any unwanted tree or snag. This implies an indifference by park officials who are supposed to be responsible for care of the parks owned by the people of Omaha.

Trash receptacle at a disc golf tee. What makes the perps think they can drink beer whenever they want in a city park. It appears that a permit is required to drink alcohol at city facilities, but once again, being in the woods, they perfer to act indifferently.

This is another example of a barren hillside of which a large portion has been nearly completed cleared of all vegetation. This is another situation where an erosion problem will certainly occur in the future.

A downslope hillside, also denuded, with future erosion more than certain.

Another plastic bag for the beer cans of the course perps. There were also bottles and cans which had been thrown among the nearby trees of the forest.

Tree limbs and such thrown thrown into Ponca Creek to provide a crossing to use rather than following the nearby trail. It is a violation of a federal law to place fill material into a wetland recognized by Section 404 of the Clear Water Act. Since Ponca Creek is a tributary of the Missouri River, it is included within this designation. In addition to being illegal, during some eventual ample rain, the material will be washed downstream, gather at a constricting point which will likely result in bank erosion, and then perhaps block the culvert under the street to the east, cause flooding, and maybe loss of creeks-side trees. A bunch of negative results can occur due to tree limbs in a creek at this park, and others about Omaha.

Understory clearing along Ponca Creek. Note the difference between the right of the picture and the rest of the view. The tee area to the left among the trees is predominantly a barren place in comparison to what would occur naturally. Yet, the perps associated with the course creation apparently have carte-blance to clear whatever they want to suit their biased perspective without any consideration to the overall values associated with this park.

The course should be removed and this failure to consider values of this unique park should end. Those inconsiderates that degraded this distinctive park should be required to restore what they have wrought in destruction. This entire endeavor is a disgrace, allowed by city officials with a seemingly laissez faire attitude. This disc golf course has been a fiasco, and a supreme mistake which should be quickly ended and removed!