§ 16-5. Preservation of park property and wildlife.

Regulation of conduct with respect to protection of park property to prevent damage, removal or destruction, and park wildlife is necessary to preserve park and recreation areas for the use of future generations.

(1)

Park property.

a.

No person shall dig, move, or remove from any park any beach sand whether submerged or not, or any soil, rock, stones, down timber or other wood or materials, or make any search, excavation by tool, equipment, metal detector, blasting, or other means or agency, or construct or erect any buildings or structures of whatever kind whether permanent or temporary in character, or run or string any public service utility into, upon or across such lands unless the proper application and permit criteria have been met and authorized by the director or his designee. This provision does not prohibit children from playing on park property or from building sand castles. However, parents or guardians are responsible for making sure that any holes created by their children are filled in so as to prevent injury to other park users.

b.

Trees, shrubbery and lawns are property assets of the park and no person shall cut, carve, or injure the bark, or break off limbs or branches or mutilate in any way, or pick the flowers, fruits, seeds, or nuts of any tree or plant, nor shall any person pile debris or material of any kind on or about any tree or plant, or attach any rope, wire or other contrivance to any tree or plant, wherever temporary or permanent in character or use.

c.

No person shall build a fire except in designated areas or authorized containers, and no person shall forage for burning materials unless authorized by the director or their designee.

d.

Using the fountains, ponds, lakes, rivers, streams, bays, or any other bodies of water within the parks, or the tributaries, storm sewers of drains flowing into them as dumping places for any substance or matter or thing which will or may result in the pollution of said waters is prohibited.

(2)

Wildlife.

a.

No unauthorized person shall molest, harm, frighten, kill, net, trap, snare, hunt, chase, shoot or throw or propel, by any means, missiles at any wildlife creature be it mammal, aquatic or marine life, bird or reptile roaming free about the park or in captivity in a cage, nor shall any unauthorized person remove or possess the young of any wild animal or the nest or eggs of any reptile or bird or to collect, remove, possess, give away, sell or offer to sell, buy or offer to buy, or accept as a gift any specimen dead or alive.

b.

In the event a minor child has violated the subsection (2)a., above, division staff shall issue a verbal warning to the party responsible for the minor child. If the responsible party allows the minor child to continue with the violation, the responsible party and minor child shall be asked to leave the park property.

c.

No person shall disobey posted notice prohibiting feeding mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians or fish.

d.

No person shall place, dump, abandon, or leave any fish, mammal, reptile or bird, either wild or domestic, on park property.

e.

This section is not intended to prohibit park users from protecting themselves or their personal property from nuisance animals.

(Ord. No. 2001-138, § 2, 11-6-01)