Garbage on the ice

[Nav Man]

Was riding out on paugus bay last weekend and noticed once again a mess being left behind by those who are using the ice. I have lived at the southern end of the bay for 12 yrs and every year there is a huge amount of debris that washes up in the spring.I will have to say a lot of this is coming from the fishing derby weekend. If you ride the lake the week before the derby and then again the week after there is a huge mess left. Anything from wood, 55 gallon drums, garbage, you name it and a lot of times theres a bobhouse left there to sink as well. I think its time for those using the ice to clean up there act and not leave it for the shore owners to clean up in the spring. CLEAN IT UP!!

[Jake]

I second this observation. I walked from Harilla to Little Bear last Saturday and noticed a lot of garbage on the ice. Most of these slobs are gone after the winter and leave the garbage for someone else to pick up.

[Mouse Catcher]

We took a long walk on the ice up in Balmoral area and around the islands. We picked up a lot of trash. My girl friend always takes a bag with her when we walk and it is always over flowing with trash others seem to leave behind.

We walked up to a bob house in the Balmoral Bay, the bob house had a name like Hulaganes or something like that on it, there was a bar-b-q and an out-house next to the bob house. (I sure hope the out-house had a port-a-potty in it and not a hole in the ice.) And if so wouldn't the contents freeze and crack the potty? How are they going to haul it away or are they just going to dump it on the ice?

All around the bar-b-q there was trash, paperplates, cans, tin foil, and napkins. We tried to pick up most of it but we really needed a pick to get the rest which we had to leave. There should be a really large fine to people who abuse the lake like this. Why come here and trash our lakes?

It is a real shame. If everone cleaned up after themselves it would ready help leave a cleaner environment for our children.

[Jake]

It seems to me that littering is against the law and can result in fines. Fish and Game officers are always out checking fishing licenses, so why can't they issue citations for littering? Time to e-mail the state.

[Lady from Gilford]

Sadly, this area is being invaded by people who visit, use and abuse, and go back home. If you dare to confront them about their littering or any other violation be prepared to hear the "you should be thankful we're here spending money" comment. They're under the impression that leaving all their trash around gives us something to do when they go home. My husband almost got punched one day when he made a comment to a "gentleman" from Mass. who opened his car door at Wal Mart and poured his McDonalds garbage onto the parking lot and walked away. Respect and manners are becoming a thing of the past.

[John]

I think that your husband should have gone the next step by taking his license plate and report it to the police. Perhaps without proof the police could not do much, but the harrassment of being brought back to the scene might deter people. I am not from NH, but I spend a lot of time up there and this is not excuseable in NH, Maine, Mass, nor CT

[Mass resident.]

Wow, who whould have guessed that someone would try to pin it on people from Mass.

[Nav Man]

Thank you to who ever took the 55 gal. drum off paugus bay this weekend!!