Photo above: Approaching the beach at Fort Ebey.
Some version of this scene is pretty common. I mostly don’t post about it. Once in a while- maybe it’s a good reminder. Maybe just a way to vent a little.
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I have nothing against sportsmen, just like I have nothing against picnics or target shooting.
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Photo-
Whidbey Island- Driftwood Park
Before-
After-
This errand took just a few minutes of my time.
Volunteers work the park all year- mowing lawns, & clearing and grooming trails.
Thanks go out to them.
Possibly related:
Leave it cleaner than you found it-
Heading to a safe place in the hills, spending a couple of hours shooting at tin cans, cleaning up the trash and heading home. What Fun.
My ideal plinking spot is safe, clean & not too popular.
For years I made use of a spot like this on public land. Recently, the road into the area has been gated.
I have moved on to using some of the more popular areas. People are in the habit of leaving their trash behind in these spots.
I went up recently not for shooting, but to do a little cleanup at a spot that was crying out for it.
Planning another trash run soon.
10/17/12 Another trash run-
5/7/13 Another trash run-
A few years back- some of our Washington State Parks removed the trash cans that were traditional at the parks.
Mystery Bay is one such location.
Mystery Bay is not a remote location where the policy applies to hiking trails or primitive campsites. Mystery Bay is just down the road from a full service state park- Fort Flagler.
Mystery Bay has a picnic shelter which is fully accessible by car. Boats pay to stay overnight.
Mystery Bay charges $10 per day, per car to access the park:
“The Discover Pass – your ticket to Washington’s great outdoors”
I do not object in any way to pack it out policies for remote locations, islands, hiking trails, primitive campsites, etc.
My feeling is that state parks that are accessible by car, have picnic shelters and charge for day use should provide trash service.
Cat box theory- make it easy for people to do the right thing and most people will.
People are supposed to clean up after their dogs. If they stay for 3 nights on their boat- are they supposed to tow a refrigerated dog crap container to pack it out? Pack it out to where?
If a person rents a car and travels the US for a couple weeks- where are they supposed to pack it out to?
Our local county parks do not charge a day fee and are having trouble staying on top of trash which exceeds the capacity of their trash cans. Are people avoiding the state day use fee or no trash policy by leaving trash at a county park?
I traveled to Potlatch State Park a couple summers ago. The traditional trash cans had been replaced with a pack it out policy. A trip to the restroom revealed 2 trash cans worth of trash stacked around the trash can in the restroom.
Additional state parks rants:
No soap in restrooms. People live in parks for days at a time- preparing food, hosting family reunions, etc. Soap in the restrooms is the way to go.
Discover Pass costs $5.00 extra when purchased online?
How does this $5.00 fee make any sense?
10 day temporary Discover Pass (provided as a receipt for online purchase) displays all drivers license info- to be seen by the general public when placed on your dash?
Why must this personal info be displayed on a temporary parking pass?
