By:
Kyle Dunlap
As
an avid sportsman I love being able to harvest the many creatures nature has to
offer. There is a certain satisfaction and sense of accomplishment that I get
when I am able to catch a fish or harvest an animal. That being said I also
understand the need to care for the land from which we reap these benefits. The
more I am in the woods or on the water, the more I see people who don’t
understand this. More and more people are using and abusing this precious gift
we have. As a kid my dad and I love to go catfishing on the Chippewa River, we
would bring our poles, set up a lantern and fish through the night, just hoping
to tie into a big one. Of all the fish we caught there, and all the memories I
made, what I remember most is taking home a 5 gallon pail full of garbage. But
this wasn’t a one-time ordeal; every time we went fishing we could count on
bringing home beer cans, snack bags, fishing line, bait boxes and countless
other things. How does it look to someone who doesn’t go fishing when they take
a walk down the riverbank and see a sight like this? Who gets blamed when they see a fire pit and
beer cans all over the place with old fishing tackle lying on the ground? They
blame fishermen as a whole and if this doesn’t change the good sportsmen are
going to get associated right along with the rest and it will be the doom of
our sport.
People
are becoming less and less attached to nature which is causing them to take it
for granted. I don’t know if it’s plain stupidity, or if it’s just simply that
people don’t care anymore but either way it has to end. If these so called
sportsmen were really sportsmen, they would take out what they bring in, and
would think twice about littering in the very spot they recreate. If they truly
loved the sport of fishing they would take care of the precious resources we
have at our disposal. If these slobs can’t clean up after themselves then they
need to stay home, and save the resources for the people who are stewards of
the land. It just doesn’t make sends to me; do these littering degenerates
really want our waterways to become so polluted that fish we love to catch
can’t even survive in them? I’m not talking about the degradation of the
rainforests, or the polluted rivers in Asia, I’m talking about right here in
our own backyard. These littering sinners are putting our true sportsmen and
the pastime that we love so much in a dangerous place. It’s time to stop
thinking about your lazy self, and start thinking about the rest of the people
who enjoy the outdoors as well.
1 comment:
When I was serving overseas we were told before going on liberty that we were ambassadors of the United States and our behavior would be viewed as if all Americans acted that way. I still practice this when I am camping, my favorite activity. When I go camping I always act in away that is respectful to the environment and others who are recreating. I too find litter in the middle of the forest and find it very distasteful. My pockets after a hike are usually filled with small pieces of trash. Even though I did not place them there, I feel as an ambassador of the forest that it is my duty to keep it clean. More people should take pride in the things they love, so others may enjoy the activity as much as they do.
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