Prospect Park Report; Dogs and Snowy Plovers

From our correspondent:

The selfishness, stupidity and arrogance of Park Slope dog owners never ceases to amaze me. At the 9th Street entrance to Prospect Park, just behind the Lafayette Monument, is a small triangle of grass. The Prospect Park Alliance has been trying hard to restore that area for a few years. They have planted several small trees, ornamental shrubs, grass and wildflowers. It is protected by a 4' high metal fence (and signs). Despite the obvious attempt to protect that spot, these two f___ing idiots didn't see anything wrong with bending the fence so that they could climb into the area, unleash their two dogs and use it as their private dog run. I said something to them, but they didn't care. It was around 3:30pm.

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From the current issue of the National Audubon Society's magazine on the endangered westernsblowy plover:

But, surprisingly, the snowies’ arch nemesis may not be the surfers, kite fliers, Frisbee players, or sunbathers. A comprehensive survey by Kevin Lafferty, a USGS biologist and Sandoval’s husband, concluded that dogs, especially when unleashed, wreak more havoc than people passing by. They kill chicks, and the plovers waste precious energy flying away, or leave their eggs, which, notes Lafferty, “may die due to exposure or predation.”