The following was sent to me by our very own HeavyC.
Ok, I have to admit it; that I too used to be one of those guys on the internet who was always complaining about the mess left behind by others. As I made my way into the outdoor areas I love to frequent, I would see it, and then I found myself far too often jumping on the bandwagon of someone else’s thread regarding their own frustrations towards what they had found. Now I must also admit, that I would SOMETIMES pick up SOME of the items I found lying around, but I did not pack trash bags regularly like many of you do, or always pick-up after others. Sure, I might pick-up some discarded fishing line here or there, but those Coke cans and plastic bags stayed left behind more often than not!
Now, a couple of years ago; right here on Fish Explorer, I found myself writing a post on a thread about the very same subject, when I had an epiphany! That FxR had helped me to realize I needed to do just a little bit more! Now, don’t get me wrong, I am still no preacher to anyone about anything, I just wanted to share with everyone what helped me get to this point. To a point where even a little more, is far better to me than just sitting on the keyboard, chastising and complaining about others. I scratched what I was planning on writing, and simply thanked the person for doing a bit more than most!
I can say that since that time, I have been much better about picking up more of what others have left behind. I can also say that in my own little way, I want to thank those other volunteers on here (and elsewhere) that have inspired me to simply be a slightly better human being, in my own honest opinion that is!
So here is where I am going, and of course this a little self-serving in my asking this of everyone. On Saturday July 14th, I am again organizing a trash collection/clean-up day at the Big Thompson Ponds SWA for which I am the Skipper for right here on FxR. It is now our third annual gathering, and I could not be more pleased about the results the past couple of years! Now it normally does not take more than an hour or two to clean-up the entire place as the BTP SWA is not a very big place. We then follow that up with a small pot-luck type grilling session afterwards, before the heat gets too darn crazy!
So again, I would like to invite everyone and anyone, to come on out and join us for a quick morning of trying to make this world a slightly better place to live and enjoy our favorite outdoor activities in! So here it is one more time:
Ok, it is that time of year again!! Everyone please join in and help make this SWA a better place!!
What: A morning of collecting anything that doesn’t belong
Where: Big Thompson Ponds SWA
Directions: From Loveland, go 5 miles E on Hwy 402 to I-25 frontage Rd then 3/4 mile N to interstate underpass. Go left through underpass then 1/4 mile N.
When: Saturday July 14th, 9am-11am
The Scene: We will spend 1-2 hours collection trash from around the State Wildlife Area making it a much better place for future visitors! Afterwards we will have a potluck BBQ/Grilling session.
To volunteer, please contact me directly at:
Marty Martinez (aka=HeavyC)
heavyc1965@hotmail.com or
970-689-0420
Many folks will be wetting a line before and after as historically this event has only taken 1-2 hours to complete. Tables, water, trash bags, hand sanitizer & hand cleaner will be provided.
As normal, I will provide the grills, burgers, hand sanitizer, water and supplies for cleaning hands, and the trash bags!
