If You Bring It, Don't Fling It

By Jerome Hansen - Idaho Fish and Game Or, if you pack it in, please pack it out. I recently visited Spring Valley Reservoir located east of Moscow. This pristine little reservoir nestled in the upper portion of Spring Valley Creek, provides hours and hours of fishing and camping entertainment for families and friends. We were saddened by the amount of trash scattered from shore to shore. Someone had emptied their ashtray right in the middle of one of the parking areas. Fire rings were filled with trash. Empty worm containers, beer bottles, and cans floated near the edge of the reservoir. Unfortunately, this scene is played out throughout the Clearwater Region and the state of Idaho. So why do people litter? I went to the internet to explore this question and found an interesting article by a gentleman named Alan Bisbort. He reports that Keep America Beautiful, a national nonprofit organization has studied litter and littering for the past 47 years. More than anything else, the organization feels that it's just "apathy". A national study conducted by the group in 1999 showed that 75 percent of Americans interviewed admitted to littering in the past five years. Yet 89 percent saw tossing out trash while driving was absolutely wrong. One professor of environmental psychology from Knox College in Illinois has studied littering for many years. He feels that people litter for the simple reason that it is the easiest way to get rid of unwanted things. McAndrew has also found the following: young people litter more than older people, men litter more than women, people living in rural areas litter more than urban residents, and people who are alone litter more than people in groups. He also points to studies that show bird watchers, nature walkers, and canoeists litter very little while hunters, fishermen, campers, motorboaters, and waterskiiers litter a lot. Ouch, did anyone wince a little. A psychologist at Weber State feels that those who litter do more than show a casual disregard for the environment. For many, littering may provide a means of asserting personal freedom, setting territory, and even soothing fears. People may mark the wilderness to make it less threatening. The psychologist thinks that littering in the wilderness may in part be a deeply embedded, "ancient" need to establish territory. This psychology stuff is kind of interesting, but I am still not certain why people litter in the Clearwater Region. I just know that littering is a serious problem on many Idaho Department of Fish and Game properties and across the Clearwater Region. In addition to being an eyesore, litter can be hazardous to wildlife. Squirrels and other animals can get their head trapped in aluminum cans. Fishing line can entangle osprey and ducks so badly they can't move. Sometimes animals eat litter thinking its food. Wild animals can be choked by plastic six-pack rings. Several years ago, the Idaho legislature gave Idaho Fish and Game Conservation Officers and classified employees additional authority to enforce provisions of Title 18, Idaho Code, related to littering. All classified employees of Fish and Game can and do issue citations for littering. Based on Title 18, littering can result in up to 6 months imprisonment in a county jail or by a fine not exceeding $300, or both. In addition, a litterer might receive between 8 and 40 hours supervised public service, cleaning up debris on public land. Picking up litter for 40 hours during 100 degree days in August will certainly provide lasting memories. In the Clearwater Region, Fish and Game provides trash cans and dumpsters at many boat ramps and fishing lakes. Even with the availability of trash receptacles, many access sites are still magnets to litter, and we spend much time and sportsman's dollars managing litter and trash. At a recent tour of Clearwater Region access sites and fishing lakes, we were surprised to learn that most other regions in the state have had great success with a strict "pack it in, pack it out" approach at access sites and fishing lakes, alleviating the need for trash cans and dumpsters. We plan to slowly implement a strict "pack it in, pack it out" approach in the Clearwater. Less money spent on litter and trash management will mean more funds available for cleaner toilets, better docks, and better access to hunting and fishing areas. So if you bring it, please don't fling it. Jerome Hansen is the Regional Habitat Manager in the Clearwater Region.