Second, we need to support good practices, both in the park and in the communities that affect it. It’s important for us to understand that areas of thickets and woodpiles are not “empty” or “unused”—they are critical for wildlife. We need to resist the temptation to “develop” everywhere: plants and animals need wild areas for food and protection. Keeping a balance between athletic facilities, picnic spots and natural areas is important. We also need to resist the temptation to “clean up” the natural areas. Old standing dead trees are homes for woodpeckers and other animal life. Tangles and piles of branches provide shelter and food sources for a variety of wildlife. Grassy areas with tall grasses and flowering plants are another rich habitat, and we should be sure to leave some of these areas alone. Lawns are important in the playing fields, but open meadows are also important in the natural sections.

And some practices go beyond the park: the branches of Dugway Creek that run in the ravines of the park will never support plant and animal life until the sewer systems are repaired so the creek is not a sanitary sewer. In addition to encouraging wildlife, cleaning up the water will make a walk along the stream much more pleasant for human visitors.