Someone has been dumping fruit at South Omaha's Mandan Park for months, and one neighborhood leader suspects it is not an accident but a lure meant to draw animals into the open so they can be shot. Stephen Bolgar, who heads the Mandan Park Neighborhood Association and Friends of Mandan Park and Mount Vernon Gardens, says he has noticed a steady stream of fruit dumping at the park in recent months and believes the pattern points to poaching.
Bolgar's theory centers on how the fruit is being used, not just where it ends up. As reported by KMTV 3 News Now, illegal fruit dumping at Mandan Park is raising concerns about poaching among South Omaha community members, and Bolgar says he believes the fruit helps bring animals together in one area where they can be shot. He also told the station he believes the dumping is being done intentionally, not left behind by accident or carelessness.
Bolgar did not mince words about the behavior itself. He said people should not be dumping trash in those volumes, pointing out that there are designated places to dump trash as well as trash cans available for that purpose, according to the station's report.
City Points to a Caretaker and Two Numbers to Call
The city's Parks Department pushed back on the idea that the dumping is going unaddressed. A spokesperson told the outlet that dumping of fruit had been an issue at Mandan Park, but that the park benefits from an on-site caretaker who promptly cleans up any illegal dumping when it appears, per the same account. That differs somewhat from Bolgar's description of noticing a lot of dumping in recent months, since the department's comment did not specify a time frame for how long the problem has persisted.
For residents who spot dumping that still needs to be cleared, the Parks Department said it should be reported to the Mayor's hotline at 402-444-5555. Dumping that is actively happening, rather than debris left behind, should instead be reported to 911, the department said.
A Familiar Headache for the Same Park
This is not the first time Mandan Park has struggled with illegal dumping. Neighbors near 13th and Y streets have previously told WOWT that they were frustrated by their inability to stay ahead of ongoing dumping in the park, and volunteers once found more tires dumped along the road running through the park just days after a major cleanup effort. In South Omaha more broadly, illegal dumping has remained a persistent issue, with residents elsewhere in the neighborhood still voicing concerns in 2023 about a dumping hotspot in a cul-de-sac across from Albright Park near Gilmore Avenue.
Bolgar has pushed the city before to act quickly on large dumped items, arguing in earlier remarks to WOWT that the city should remove big debris in a timely fashion so the area does not look unattended in a way that invites more dumping. One dumping site he and volunteers encountered included an RV and roughly 15 wooden pallets, and in at least one case documented by WOWT's Six on Your Side, a tire dumper who was caught received only a $25 fine.
Cleanup Efforts Have Tackled Tons of Debris Citywide
Bolgar's frustration with dumping in his neighborhood goes back years. He has been caring for his section of South Omaha since 2018, during which time he has personally removed nearly 700 dumped tires and hundreds of bags of trash, according to OneOmaha. Citywide cleanup efforts have made a dent as well: the 2023 Omaha Spring Cleanup collected 706.67 tons of bulky waste, 45.73 tons of tires and 28.1 tons of appliances, per the same organization.
Whether the fruit dumping at Mandan Park is in fact tied to poaching, who is responsible, or whether any agency is investigating remains unknown. For now, the Parks Department's message to residents is straightforward: report dumping that needs cleanup to the Mayor's hotline, and call 911 if dumping is happening in real time.
