cilantro13
06-10-2009, 09:57 PM
I posted this on a local forum, but it bears repeating here:
I rode Peter's Canyon (Orange County, Ca) this evening, which is a popular wilderness park set in the middle of the suburbs. Now that winter is over and the traffic is increasing, I have noticed a huge uptick in trail litter.
I hope as a community we are living the Leave No Trace mantra. In case there is anybody who doesn't know what that means, it means leave the land as you found it (except for bike tracks) or better.
Obviously, there are people out there who are not living Leave No Trace and are dropping their crap all over the trails.
May I suggest that each of us stop and pick up one piece of litter on each ride and carry it out? We should have a bike specific mantra: it isn't a dab if you are picking up and carrying out somebody else's trash.
As I rode, I passed what must have been 20 riders who rode right by trash in the middle of the trail.
With the budget cuts coming to the parks in California, and our somewhat sketchy reputation with hikers and horse people, we should be looking for every opportunity to show that we are good stewards. People will notice when they see bikers stopping to pick up litter, and all of us will enjoy clean trails.
Sorry to get on a soapbox, but it really pisses me off to see litter on the trails and to see bikers and others pass it by like it isn't their problem. It is all of our problem and all of our responsibility.
So pick up that one piece of trash on each ride.
I rode Peter's Canyon (Orange County, Ca) this evening, which is a popular wilderness park set in the middle of the suburbs. Now that winter is over and the traffic is increasing, I have noticed a huge uptick in trail litter.
I hope as a community we are living the Leave No Trace mantra. In case there is anybody who doesn't know what that means, it means leave the land as you found it (except for bike tracks) or better.
Obviously, there are people out there who are not living Leave No Trace and are dropping their crap all over the trails.
May I suggest that each of us stop and pick up one piece of litter on each ride and carry it out? We should have a bike specific mantra: it isn't a dab if you are picking up and carrying out somebody else's trash.
As I rode, I passed what must have been 20 riders who rode right by trash in the middle of the trail.
With the budget cuts coming to the parks in California, and our somewhat sketchy reputation with hikers and horse people, we should be looking for every opportunity to show that we are good stewards. People will notice when they see bikers stopping to pick up litter, and all of us will enjoy clean trails.
Sorry to get on a soapbox, but it really pisses me off to see litter on the trails and to see bikers and others pass it by like it isn't their problem. It is all of our problem and all of our responsibility.
So pick up that one piece of trash on each ride.