This story was in the same Denver Post as the AP story about National Parks. This park is staffed, and people are increasingly doing it. Mighty peculiar IMHO, especially since it seems to be a new thing. Another story reported that Roxborough had doubled the number of visitors in four years. I never heard about the rock/salt idea before. They have been training people in Leave No Trace.
Few things will ruin a hike through one of Colorado’s most distinct state parks faster than a pile of human feces.
Yet officials at Roxborough State Park say they’ve seen an increasing number of “very unsightly” piles of poop near the trails. No pets are allowed in the 4,000-acre park south of metro Denver, so employees there know humans are to blame.
“Over the past several months, we have found literal piles of human waste near our trails, and if not the waste itself, toilet paper left on the ground or under rocks or downed logs,” park officials wrote on Facebook last week.
While there are bathrooms at the visitor center and near a parking lot, the officials recognize that emergencies happen.
But there are socially acceptable and environmentally safe ways to take care of business in nature, the officials point out. If you have to go, dig a hole at least 6 inches deep and bury your waste at least 200 feet from any water sources. Pack out your toilet paper.
The state park also recommends urinating on rocks so that wildlife can lick up remaining salt after the liquid evaporates.
more on this unpleasant topic from the LA Times today: https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-park-restrictions-20190102-story.html#nws=mcnewsletter
“The state park also recommends urinating on rocks so that wildlife can lick up remaining salt after the liquid evaporates.” Just don’t do it next to the “Don’t feed the wildlife” sign.