Okay, this might seem like somewhat of a rant for some folks, but I feel like it's an issue that needs to be addressed. North Idaho is such a gorgeous place to live. Beautiful lakes, beautiful mountains, beautiful parks...it's great. We also have wonderful city services, such as the dump that is FREE for anyone to use. So, with a FREE facility for our use, why do I find garbage left everywhere?! Why would someone load up an old couch into their vehicle, drive it up into the wilderness and dump it onto the side of the road?? Good grief! The dump is right here in town (Ramsey) and it's much closer!

I say all of this because I have encountered the random couch in the woods (among other things such as refrigerators, old stoves, etc.). I also just took my dog for a walk on the dam at Hayden Lake two evenings ago where I was really put off by the amount of trash lying around. Yes, I still enjoyed my time watching my dog swim. Yes, we enjoyed the walk too. But, I didn't enjoy having to tell my dog to "leave it" every time we came across an empty beer can or leftover chicken bones! I also didn't appreciate having to navigate around all of the dog poop either! Come on folks! Let's do a better job of taking care of the beautiful places we've been so blessed to live near and be able to enjoy! It's not unreasonable for everyone to simply clean up after themselves and their pets.

In the grand scheme of things, it will cost you a few minutes of your time. The end result is being able to enjoy and use our beautiful natural resources without the litter. Isn't it worth it?