To the Editor:
I visit the Baseline trailhead almost daily and the parks employees do a wonderful job at maintaining it, they work diligently seven days a week to insure that visitors have a pleasant day while on the trail. What really infuriates me is the fact that there are over 24 trash receptacles yet some visitors will deliberately toss their trash into the woods or just leave it on the picnic tables or toss it on the parking spaces. If a person has the ability to carry a full water bottle into the trail, why is it that they do not have the ability to carry it out or take it to the nearest trash can? If a family reserves a pavilion for a gathering and they can bring pizza boxes, drinks and goodies, why can’t they bring a trash bag?
There are animals that live within the trails, the trash that is left behind will endanger their lives, imagine a deer, bear or bobcat choking on a plastic bottle or a cigarette package. Chewing gum is the worst, birds, turtles, possums or armadillos can not process the gum and choke on it. Like the National Wildlife Federation says “leave nothing but footprints, take nothing but pictures,” and don’t be a litter bug.
Theresa Grimes
Belleview