Scooped poop in Colorado Springs parks could earn you $50

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- How does getting $50 for a bag of dog poop sound to you?

That's a reward being offered for people who help pick up the poop at several local parks here in Colorado Springs this Saturday. From 9 a.m. to noon, the Trails and Open Space Coalition is hosting a dog waste clean-up challenge, and trail users who return a bag of dog waste to TOSC staff will be entered to win one of 40 gift certificates worth $50 to a local business.

The challenge is taking place at Stratton Open Space, Ute Valley, Bear Creek, Blodgett Open Space, Red Rock Canyon, and Yucca Flats at Palmer Park. TOSC staff and volunteers will be at trailheads providing park users with a TOSC dog waste bag.

According to the TOSC, there are 23 million coliform bacteria in a single gram of pet waste, which can make animals and humans sick. TOSC says one of the worst reported problems on trails in the area is the presence of dog waste.