Karen DuBose is a modest woman with a humble job in Skagit County government. "I'm the poop finder," she says with a laugh.
Karen's job is making your business her business. Karen is in charge of stopping the problem of pollution in Puget Sound that comes from... poop.
It finds its way into Puget Sound in all kids of ways -- dogs, farms, failing septic systems -- even hikers and fishermen. Excrement routinely contaminates the waters of Samish Bay, making it unsafe for swimming and fishing.
It's a very serious problem that Karen is taking on by tapping into everyone's inner 5-year-old.
"Poop is funny," she says. "We all have an inner 5-year-old who thinks that poop is hilarious."
With that, Skagit County is launching a scatologically-centered public awareness and social media campaign called Poop Smart.
Through cute little cartoons, poopie emojis, and of course a hashtag #PoopSmart, the county is offering tips, tools and financial help to people who need to clean up their act.
"Your dog's poop may not seem like a lot, but there are thousands of dogs in Skagit County," says Karen. "There's a hundred and some thousand people in Skagit county. All those tiny sources add up to a big pollution problem."
Karen hopes bringing a bit of levity and bathroom humor to an otherwise uncomfortable subject will convince people to make a change.
"Poop happens," she says. "Join the movement!"
"You may think it’s much a-doo about nothing, but it may lead to a variety of problems – for your family’s health and for the health of our fishing and shellfish harvesting areas. Read on to help prevent a Revenge of the Turds situation," the site reads.
The site contains tips for how to dispose of fecal matter when you're out enjoying the outdoors, if you own a property with a septic system, if you own a small farm with livestock, or if you simply have pets.
