There is currently no bathroom, or even a porta potty, at the Black Star trailhead in the Irvine Ranch Open Space area. This is one of the busiest trails in the area.

As a consequence, people urinate and defecate in nearby drainages, behind trees, etc., leaving human waste and toilet paper everywhere. This is an environmental issue, a hygiene issue and frankly disgusting.

Given the high volume usage, and everyone's realistic need to use the bathroom -- not to mention having someplace to dispose of dog waste collected on the trail -- there needs to be a permanent bathroom at the trailhead.

I've contacted OC Parks and was told that: "We understand your concerns and would like to explain that the area in particular is unimproved wilderness area and under strict restrictions."

Which I respect and appreciate; I am very much in favor of preserving the wilderness. But you can't do this if people are trashing it anyway. Pretending they're not doesn't solve the issue, it just means more human waste in our streams and natural areas. There are already porta potties at almost every other major trailhead with parking that I can think of in the OC Park system.

This petition is to request the addition of appropriate restroom and trash facilities in order to preserve the local natural environment, improve hygiene, protect local animals, and generally make the area less disgusting.