Doing My Part for Nature

Trailhead Sign at Rolin T. Grant Gulf Wilderness Park

In the era of COVID-19 more and more people are looking to nature as an escape and as a way to get away from just spending time at home. As I've written in previous articles, this is a great thing and I believe it will fundamentally change how we view nature moving forward.

Unfortunately, there is also a downside to this.  As more people explore the trails and options that nature provides, we must be careful to do our part to do no harm to our environment and ensure that our children and grandchildren will be able to enjoy all that we have today.

A few things to keep in mind as you explore parks, trails and all that nature has to offer.

• Let someone know where you are going, when you will be home and your plans for the outing.
• If you are going out, have a backup plan.  The backup plan should account for weather, full parking lots, etc.
• If a parking lot is full when you get to your destination, find another place to go or try another time of day.
• When you get on a trail, if it is muddy and you are having to walk off to the sides of trails or turn around, come back another day.  Let the ground dry out and recover.
• Practice the principles of Leave No Trace:
• Plan ahead and prepare
• Travel and camp on durable surfaces
• Dispose of waste properly
• Leave what you find
• Minimize campfire impacts
• Respect wildlife
• Be considerate of other visitors
• If taking a pet with you, clean up after your pet and keep your dog on a leash.
• Practice Carry In, Carry Out - If it wasn't there before you came, take it with you.
• Leave nature in a better place than you found it.

The Rolin T. Grant Gulf Wilderness Park is a small park that I recently discovered nearby and I've found myself going back at least a couple of times a week to get away.  Usually there are a few people in the park, but everyone that I have met has been wonderful.  

Unfortunately, the parking areas, trail heads and the trails themselves have become a favorite spot for people to discard their unwanted items.  

Even the trash cans that are provided are full beyond capacity.

As you descend into the park, you see even more discarded items,such as tires, clothes, food containers and more.

I decided that my hike on this day would have additional purpose, to make the park more enjoyable for everyone.  I showed up after work with my gloves, mask, tools to pick up trash and a number of empty trash bags.  I know I may not get all of this cleaned up today, but I can start (and that is usually the hardest part).  

I spent the next three hours walking the trails and picking up everything I found.  The tires and large items will have to wait until another day as I'll need more help to remove them, but I will be back for those.

As you are out enjoying nature, take some gloves and a spare bag with you.  If we each pickup just a few items along the way, you will be surprised at the difference it makes.  

At the end of my walk, this is what I found.

Yes, that is a chainsaw bar.

This is what the areas above look like now.

Yes, I took the bags with me after taking the picture.

If we each do our part, everything that we are taking comfort in and enjoying in these difficult times will be here for generations after us to use and seek solace in during their own challenges.

Stay safe and enjoy all that nature has to offer.