Shoreline Trash 4/13/2019

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Bob Heinrich

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Just returned from several days of fishing and camping, and was very sad to see the trash exposed by the low water levels. With epic low levels exposing trash that has been covered for many years, why cant the NPS or any other organization help to put a dent in this problem? I know the challenges with resources, huge area to police, accessibility, etc., but every action no matter how small, can put a dent into this problem. I guess what solidified it for me was seeing trash even at Wahweap Bay, so close to resources! Maybe there are efforts in force and I just don't know it. Guess with levels now rising, its now an opportunity lost.
We did our part to remove items, cans, plastic cups, and anchor rope, however some items we just couldn't manage.

Thanks for reading, just a thought from a concerned admirer of Lake Powell.
 
Bob Heinrich said:
Just returned from several days of fishing and camping, and was very sad to see the trash exposed by the low water levels. With epic low levels exposing trash that has been covered for many years, why cant the NPS or any other organization help to put a dent in this problem? I know the challenges with resources, huge area to police, accessibility, etc., but every action no matter how small, can put a dent into this problem. I guess what solidified it for me was seeing trash even at Wahweap Bay, so close to resources! Maybe there are efforts in force and I just don't know it. Guess with levels now rising, its now an opportunity lost.
We did our part to remove items, cans, plastic cups, and anchor rope, however some items we just couldn't manage.

Thanks for reading, just a thought from a concerned admirer of Lake Powell.
Click to expand...

There is one dedicated group that goes out on 1 week adventures all summer long. The group is the Trash Trackers and they are sponsored by the NPS. You can sign up and go on a week long trip to some nice places on the lake.

With that being said there is much more for all of us to do in picking up trash, cleaning up our beach, turning around to get a floating piece of garbage out of the lake, etc. Just take a trash bag and a pleasant personality with you each time you head out on the lake and if we all do it, our water look better after each trip.
 
Bob Heinrich said:
Just returned from several days of fishing and camping, and was very sad to see the trash exposed by the low water levels. With epic low levels exposing trash that has been covered for many years, why cant the NPS or any other organization help to put a dent in this problem? I know the challenges with resources, huge area to police, accessibility, etc., but every action no matter how small, can put a dent into this problem. I guess what solidified it for me was seeing trash even at Wahweap Bay, so close to resources! Maybe there are efforts in force and I just don't know it. Guess with levels now rising, its now an opportunity lost.
We did our part to remove items, cans, plastic cups, and anchor rope, however some items we just couldn't manage.

Thanks for reading, just a thought from a concerned admirer of Lake Powell.
Click to expand...
Thanks for picking up what you could, I wish more people would do the same. Anytime I'm on the water or in the woods I pick up what little I can carry while enjoying my day. It is sad to see trash in such a pristine place, and no amount of complaining will make it better. Picking up what is front of us that we can carry is the best way.
 
Look at it as a salvage operation. Not everything in the water is trash.. just last weekend I came home with a good sized anchor, a set of stainless silverware ,and a couple of plastic beach chairs. ... Also added a couple of bags of trash to the dumpster for good measure . Had a nice walk around at the same time. DMc
 
PowellBride said:
If every Wordling picked up just 1 bag every trip. What could we accomplish? We rarely venture on land except to beach the houseboat, but we do try (we’re not perfect) to pick any trash we see when we are beaches
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The trash bag in my boat doesn't hold much, but I feel alot better about scooping up that water bottle or empty chip bag that blew out of someone else's boat or camp rather than just shaking my head and complaining that people just don't care. Thanks for your efforts however large or small.
 
Bob Heinrich said:
Just returned from several days of fishing and camping, and was very sad to see the trash exposed by the low water levels. With epic low levels exposing trash that has been covered for many years, why cant the NPS or any other organization help to put a dent in this problem? I know the challenges with resources, huge area to police, accessibility, etc., but every action no matter how small, can put a dent into this problem. I guess what solidified it for me was seeing trash even at Wahweap Bay, so close to resources! Maybe there are efforts in force and I just don't know it. Guess with levels now rising, its now an opportunity lost.
We did our part to remove items, cans, plastic cups, and anchor rope, however some items we just couldn't manage.

Thanks for reading, just a thought from a concerned admirer of Lake Powell.
Click to expand...
Bob, thanks for this post! While I agree with the premise of your post regarding the need for the shores of Lake Powell to be cleaned up, I don't think we can put the onus on this cleanup onto NPS - they are not a "trash pickup" force. We, as Lake Powell users, need to A) clean up all of our own trash, and B) because many don't do A, clean up other peoples trash, and any extra work we all can do on this helps, even just doing a beach cleaning of your own beach every trip as you did - for your trash and your neighbors - helps! Thank you!

I do wish NPS would enforce existing laws more consistently and with harsher penalties (recall my Poop Beach post where clearly a bad situation was, in my opinion, not prosecuted as harshly as it should have been). But our own personal responsibility is what is going to make a difference in reducing lake trash.

For years, we used to specifically clean the beach of others trash on 100 yards to each side of our beach each trip, and we've slacked on this extra work the past few years. I commit to start doing this again this year.-Doug
 
Bob, the Trash Trackers are on it! Trip #3 left the Wahweap dock this morning. The early trips tend to net a bunch of trash because of the lower water levels. Maybe someday when I'm retired I can organize winter trips to scour the beaches. Clearly there's a need for that!

Tiff
 
Can't imagine what gets cleared off the deck and the beach camps during those windy days the length of the lake. We've all seen the flattened camps.... Thanks Trash Trackers, love seeing that rig, always a big wave and a smile from me.
 
I was at a beach in Gunsight yesterday and can confirm a sight similar to what Bob said in the original post. Garbage everywhere, made visible by the exceptionally low water level. We filled a couple of bags and could have filled many more (space prohibited for us taking more). Very sad.
 
Thanks to any and all who remove trash from anywhere on Lake Powell or any other place! We have always collected other peoples
trash that was left behind for whatever reason. It would be nice if every single person did this as well, but then there always going to be those who just don't care. I care and all my family and friends care, so for the last 17 years of going to Lake Powell, we always collect trash where ever we might find it. I would love to do the Trash tracker in the winter sometime, what a great time to see the lake!
 
Stormy55 said:
Thanks to any and all who remove trash from anywhere on Lake Powell or any other place! We have always collected other peoples
trash that was left behind for whatever reason. It would be nice if every single person did this as well, but then there always going to be those who just don't care. I care and all my family and friends care, so for the last 17 years of going to Lake Powell, we always collect trash where ever we might find it. I would love to do the Trash tracker in the winter sometime, what a great time to see the lake!
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, the Trash Tracker does not run during the winter. Just April through October. But I've noticed that when the water is at its lowest level of the year, right around March, we start getting reports of a lot of trash. That would be a great time to go---get it cleaned up before the rising water covers it. Maybe we can arrange a Wordling clean up weekend sometime in March?

Tiff
 
The 2020 calendar will be out soon. When it's up, I'll post the link. Applications are accepted on Feb. 1st, 2020. Trips will fill up that day within hours. We'd love to have you, Birdsnest! And then you can pick your warm trip. :)

Tiff
 
Thanks for the invite, I was talking about your wordling trash pickup. Don't know that I would be a good fit for the trash tracker.
 
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