There are a few things in this world I will never understand.
Some of them Iíve learned to just accept. The fact that they have to do with members of the opposite sex is neither here nor there.
But there is one that really bugs me.
Littering.
Why do people litter? If you can answer that question, you should win the Nobel and Pulitzer prizes combined.
I was reminded of it again last week. Cindy and I and the dogs took a walk on the Reno spillway. If there is a prettier spot than that, please show me.
The sun was setting over the western hills, and the river was changing to a dark blue right before our eyes. Two bald eagles waited for us to catch up before they headed toward Wisconsin. It was perfect.
Except for those cardboard beer and pop cartons. And those pop cans and bottles. And the empty pack of cigarettes floating in the water, and the nightcrawler containers, and Powerbait packages.
Thatís just part of what I picked up on our little jaunt on the spillway. Stray down to the water, or on the path on the east side of Running Slough, and youíll be overwhelmed. Better bring a truck if you plan on doing any gathering of trash there. Itís everywhere.
So how can a person go to a spot as lovely at the Reno Bottoms and throw away their trash? I donít get it. Who does that?
I see fishermen there all the time. How can they stand next to a river and catch fish and not pick up the plastic package that held their Rapala? How much effort does it take to stuff that empty candy bar wrapper into their pocket?
This little diatribe of mine wonít do any good, because people who litter donít read newspapers. They probably canít read period. They are ignorant, thoughtless slobs. Please stop in and correct me if Iím wrong. Weíll have a pleasant conversation.
The spillway is the most vivid example to me, but itís really a larger problem. I remember climbing down to Fairy Rock last year and picking up probably 20 empty cans and bottles. How can someone go to a place like that and throw trash? It would be like littering in church.
My first thought is that it is kids. Not all kids, mind you, or even very many of them. But some kids do dumb things. They vandalize, paint graffiti, litter. Sometimes with friends, itís not cool not to do that. Peer pressure, rebellious nature. People do outgrow such things.
But itís definitely not all kids. I donít see a lot of kids fishing in the bottoms, for example, but the trash is coming from somewhere. I know one thing: a real fisherman would not do that.
I hope people ponder this a bit. If you have a chance to stop litter somehow, please do so. My little act in that direction is to pick up trash and take it home. Itís not easy or fun to do, but itís something. Youíll feel good about yourself. Maybe youíll set an example for someone. And youíll be helping in some small to solve the very perplexing and aggravating problem of litter.

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Caledonia Argus
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