15 replies to this topic

[brannon67]

I know I CRINGE everytime I go on a hike, a snorkel, etc, and see trash on the trail, in the water. I also cant stand to be snorkeling in a spring, and see people, kids, running around, jumping everywhere, trampling the bottom, on the plants, stirring up the bottom, sitting on cypress stumps, trodding everything down, etc. It makes me physically ill. I guess alot of people are not eco minded like we all are on this forum. It saddens me that people dont care. Is that it, do people not care, or do they not think, or both?

[fundulus]

You haven't seen anything if you haven't seen a campsite on a stream used by an ATV or horse group on a trail, if the group has no scruples. The streambed will be rutted and gouged, and for some reason such groups leave a large, well defined pile of garbage like they think someone will come and get it. Again, not all do this, but when they do it's like they're following a well thought out plan of how to be schmucks. And no, they don't care.

[Sean Phillips]

I can understand that for sure. I was snorkeling I a pool in my local creek a while back and some kid came over and said "what are doing?". I told him I was observing minnows and darters and he responded "don't waste your time, those things are only good for bait". It turned into a pretty heated argument after that so I won't go into detail but some people just don't give a thought about anything but themselves. Another time was this September, I was supposed to meet some friends at my local quarry for our annual 2-day diving camp out. Well 5 days before that weekend we found out the the "natives" as they called them (ahem rednecks) broke down the gates to the place, left beer cans EVERYWHERE, lit multiple fires that almost turned into a forest fire, and crashed an ATV into the quarry, plus they all got away and I don't believe they were ever caught. The first thing that came to my mind when I was informed of that was: give me 5 minutes in a small room with these people.

[al10]

Ok I agree and diagree with above, I don't just go and put some fish on a hook and notthink about anything, I go fishing and eat the fish I catch, I use luve bait from surrounding area, and I usally dump leftover bait back where I got it, I think the are good for bait and aquariums, most have good colors, which is great to look at, and fish are attractied to color, so I use for both.

[al10]

Oh and I am a redneck, I am a kid, my parents don't drink, and we do none of above, so stop making those the steriotypes for rednecks.

[brannon67]

I did a drift divve with a friend of mine in the Santa Fe River around Ginnie Springs one year, and we dove down, and found a vent/hole, where water was coming out of the aquifer, and low and behold, there was trash crammed all up inside it. Potato chip bags, etc. I was shocked. Why I dont know, but I was. Its sad that most people dont care about the ecosystems, the environment, etc. Im not a worshiper of creation or anything, but I do love God's creation, and I hate to see the beauty around us trashed by uncaring, selfish people. That saddens me....

[al10]

Ok I agree withthat,I'm christian, I'm from the country, I had subdivisions, I hate big cities, and I hate people that just throw random things in the woods, water, ect, and and I am in florida, and I go to apollo beach a lot and. Always see trash making pools or water with big fish in them, or finding old hooks, and lines in the ocean, and its near a powerplant, but a lot of dolphins and manatees stay their, because it puts off heat, but the water has a lot of chemicals and such in it, its also near a massive mangrove swampm

[Sean Phillips]

Ok I agree and diagree with above, I don't just go and put some fish on a hook and notthink about anything, I go fishing and eat the fish I catch, I use luve bait from surrounding area, and I usally dump leftover bait back where I got it, I think the are good for bait and aquariums, most have good colors, which is great to look at, and fish are attractied to color, so I use for both.

I didn't at all mean that I don't think they shouldn't be used as bait. I'm a hug fisherman myself, go out 3-4 days a week weather permitting at all times of the year and I often use shiners and fatheads for bait. I've caught 3 of my 5 citation fish (as in I got in the paper and on the pfbc website for catching say the 3rd biggest this species of the year) on shiners. What I meant was he was saying they're good for nothing but bait where as I can appreciate them as bait and aquarium specimens as well as appreciate them in the wild.

[al10]

Oh, ok, now I get it, well if you weren't ever into aquariums or anything I giuess you would too, not that much but for some fish.

[don212]

sometimes it's the local country boys who protect their own favorite spots, and pity the slobs who trash their party spot. when i lived in the catskills we swam in a stream that local teens partially dammed each year and kept clean, everyone was welcome, but if you trashed their spot, or got rude, they would go redneck all over you, in fl here we have a small spring that is a party spot, it does get trashed, but some young locals regularly show up with trash bags and a boat and clean up, love to see stuff like that

[Josh Blaylock]

It is unfortunate that people do not take care of the land/water they use. I participate in river cleanups every years. Here's a tip, when you go collecting/snorkeling/hiking, take a garbage bag with you. Be a good steward of the land and clean up a little before you leave. That can even help you in the event that a land owner confronts you, because he/she is upset about people trashing their property.

[sschluet]

Josh-
Here is a funny story for you. I once got in a situation picking up trash. I loaded up 4 old tires and half a garbage bag of trash from one site. I was sitting on my tailgate drinking a water and the landowner rips into the parking area, jumps out, and starts in on me. Thinking I was dumping the load I had on my truck. Took 10 mins to convince him otherwise and he was very appreciative. I concur with your statement nothing goes farther with a landowner than picking up trash on their property. And reduces "cringe factor"...

[brannon67]

I refuse to go to a state park, in my state, or Florida (to snorkel/dive springs) on a holiday weekend, or on the weekends or in the summer months. To many people running around, being irresponsible, and going crazy. I prefer to go exploring in the middle of the week, either early spring(before or after spring break) or in the early-mid fall season. No crowds, people are at work, school, less mosquitos, and its peaceful....

[Josh Blaylock]

Josh-
Here is a funny story for you. I once got in a situation picking up trash. I loaded up 4 old tires and half a garbage bag of trash from one site. I was sitting on my tailgate drinking a water and the landowner rips into the parking area, jumps out, and starts in on me. Thinking I was dumping the load I had on my truck. Took 10 mins to convince him otherwise and he was very appreciative. I concur with your statement nothing goes farther with a landowner than picking up trash on their property. And reduces "cringe factor"...

Eek. That's crazy. But I guess you can't blame the landowner for thinking that, especially if he's had trash dumped on his property before. A nearly similar thing happened to me. A normally clean site I went to for Geode hunting had a huge pile of trash and a TV near the bank. The landowner came over and thought we were dumping. After a few minutes of explaining, he was fine with me being there, just didn't want anymore garbage. Some people spoil it for everybody.

[fundulus]

The only angry landowner I've encountered recently was at Estill Fork of the Paint Rock River in NE 'bama. I was there with an Ichthyology class seining, mid-day on a Tuesday, and this angry looking guy approached us. He and other landowners have had problems with Indian artifact poachers digging on their property and he thought that's what we were doing. When I explained to him why we were there he was fine with it and left, albeit still a little grumpy.

[Gavinswildlife]

In my neighborhood, I can't collect in many of the parks. The locals have this tendency to hold a gun to your head and mug you.