Spring may just have finnally sprung, lts hope so anyway. Trees are budding, grass is on the grow, soon we will see native plants flowering....and of course.....the trash.

As Sportsman and Sportswomen we have the obligation to show good stewerdship of our outdoors. Its not just for the sake of landowner relations, although it is a very big part of the picture, but for the total enjoyment of our chosen pastime.

Be a good sportsman....Take the time to clean up your areas, if others do not do so, step up and do the right thing. Others will learn by your example and see what is acceptable, and what is not.

Enjoy it today, tommarow, forever...do the right thing!

It still amazes me how dis-respectful of the environment people can be. There is trash everywhere I look it seems when I'm out on the river, and it's so easy to throw your trash in the dumpster or recycle bin! Ed, the worst part is that the individuals who keep tossing their trash where ever, probably aren't going to stop anytime soon. I think they need to up the fine a bunch, so it really hurts the pocket book if they get caught...

Good post Ed, a good rule of thumb is to always leave it better than you found it. I don't know how many bags of trash I picked up ice fishing this past winter, really a shame how some slobs treat our resources.

On a side note, Thanks Ed for all the advice on how to catch a Kitty on the Red. Those 5/0 hooks you sold me are doing the trick! Took my boys last night and had a blast. Tha cats were biting aggressively and while we didn't get any "Sumo" Kittys, we did catch alot of 6-10 pounders and had a blast. THanks again!

Great topic Ed...well done!

Nice fish FMSmitty and crew!

That's what it's all about right there, those two pictures say a lot.

Your younger boy looks kinda like a turtle there. LOL

But it will not be long and he will be cradling them sumo kittys just like Dad.

Just tell me....what better fun is there for kids, and Mom & Dads, than sharing moments like that....stumps me Eh?

Thanks for sharing them FMSmitty. Print a couple for the board at GM, I made room for a new crop of pics and I always like to see kids on the board first.

Great thread, fellas! Ed, you started a great thread and you guys have followed with some great stuff too! I love it!

Trash can be worse at times on the Red. Some peoples thinking on rivers appears to be "Well...it will wash away to somewhere else". Ya, it may, yet that somewhere else is another sports-persons back yard.

Seasonal fisherman also appear to have less regard, they won't be back tell the walleye or whatever are on a top bite again. This is why it is so important that we do out part and set good examples so they get clued in that being a slob fisherman is unacceptable, period. Be it there back yard or ours, it's everyone's environment to maintain.

Fines are often mentioned, but if they are handed out, be it rare, they don't do much for the overall problem.

I say....Let them keep the cash and hand out 48 hours of trash clean-up in community service...or the equivalent in jail time if they are no-shows. That has an effect pretty quickly. Than see how quickly people find the time to pick up after themselves when they see this is the reward for slob behavior in the outdoors.

Amen to that!!! I cleaned up two bags of trash at the place I fished yesterday. I had my little 3 year old boy helping me pick up the garbage too- hopin' to teach him how to treat the fishery at a young age.

This is a good thread and an important topic.

I know that Dark30, down on the Minnesota River thread started, or at least strongly advocated a "River Watchers" program. They would often clean up trash and reprimand anyone they witnessed dumping or leaving trash along the river. This might be a great thing for the big Red.

One thing I observed when I lived in Grand Forks was all the trash you could see EVERYWHERE in the spring. I think one of the big problems is plastic covered dumpsters and how they behave in the powerfull winter winds. I've actually witnessed dumpsters on the UND campus blown open by strong winter storms and trash being blown all over.

As soon as the snow melted each spring I'd buy a couple boxes of inexpensive garbage bags, gather up all the kids around our student housing area and offer them each $1.00 for every full garbage bag they could bring me. Of course, I would run around gathering garbage with them. We made it into a game. You'd be amazed at how much garbage we'd find just stuck in the bushes, shrubery (sp?), and fence rows around campus!

$20.00 later we'd have 20 full garbage bags and the whole development looked completely different. I spoke to the city about doing something about the dumpsters, but I don't know if anything was ever done.

I've no doubt that people are not always good stewards with our natural resources, but those Dakota winds don't always make it any easier.

Amen to the dumpster deal, seen it often. Garbage cans uncovered in parks get picked by crows too...they work in pairs and pitch everything out looking for food. A cover there would help greatly to limit trash spreading about.

What also burns me is a new restaurant near where I work makes no effort to control there trash...none...ZIP. They do huge business and get many trucks per week of boxed food and supplies. They stack the unfastened boxes outside in a big pile and guess what....the wind does it's thing. No rocket science there is needed. The stuff blows all over the South side and they just watch it happen. It's so sad it defies all reason. Over and over every other day...more box's blowing and nobody trying to remedy it. I have fought the urge to call the city on this so many times hopping they will get there [PoorWordUsage]-in-a-group. Maybe a email to there cooperate head may be the answer, with a few pictures of this situation?

ARRRGGGG...it can really get under your saddle if you let it Eh. But just pointing at a problem seldom solves it....right. I'll have to find a "Diplomatic course of action" to get this situation attended to.

I hear you, Ed. Sometimes it simply defies all logic.

I'd recommend one anonomous call to the manager stating that if they do not immediately remedy the situation with their garbage you will place a call to the authorities, and write a letter to the editor to your local newspaper.

I'd bet the problem would be fixed in a hurry!

I usually use the johnson park landing, and it amazes me the garbage that people leave behind. Nightcrawler tubs, minnow bags, and the list goes on.

You hit on another thing I wish to change, and find great resistance in doing. Bait bags and Styrofoam containers, this practice needs to change!

I work with a bait shop so I am part of the problem, and potentially part of the solution.

We need to look at new options for bait sales and transportation to eliminate these containers. They contaminate our environment and are not biodegradable friendly.

I would like to see no plastic bait bags period. There is no reason that bait can not be transported in reusable bait buckets and coolers. The consumer would benefit from this too...better bait and healthier bait.

I often tell guys and galls if you buy a bait bucket your minnows gets doubled, bring it in and I give you more minnows than if you get bags. I do this as a bonus for being more environmentally friendly. I mean it too! Bags add expense and we all see where they mostly end up. So I see it as a wise trade, more bait for less cost, and more importantly....less trash.

Styrofoam containers, same thing really. They do not degrade well and can easily be replaced with wax coated paper containers made from recyclable materials. They would be nearly as effective for transport and storage and less damaging to the environment over time. Again, bringing in reusable containers more suitable for transport and storage with you would be best of all, less containers in the wild and in our landfills. Styrofoam containers designed for extensive use and that are not "designed to be disposable" is ok, and work very well.

I am trying to get the supliers to package this way for all pre-packaged baits....with not much luck in the past. This may change soon, I'm working with a new vendor and he is game to do what it takes and thinks in the end it will help to lower rising bait costs. Face it, bait is going up due to transportation costs so this can be a win-win deal for consumers and for the enviroment if we re-think our packaging.

Ya...I sound like a "Tree Hugger", and I may very well be...what I am is more of a "Bag Kick'r".

When you see more bags bouncing across the plains than Jack Rabbits....it's time to get off our arss's and get bizy!

Tonight I took my 8 and 11 year old out for a couple of hours after work, and after reading this post earlier today I decided that it is something that eveyone can help with. So while I was getting the boat out of the water I gave my boys a garbage bag and told them to pick up the stuff left behind. I also told them there was a little something in it for them. I gave them each a buck and they where all smiles. Oh and by the way we managed five cats, nothing over five pounds.

Ata Boy, or Ata Boyz!!!!

Other anglers see this, and fallow suit in time.

We were part of a awakening when we were young. Educated to the importance of a trash free enviroment, started in school, started young. Somehow consumerism has changed this passion in many of us. So reminders like seeing kids doing there part can rekindle the pasion we once had for a clean enviroment. I truely believe this!

Well done!!