Thursday, February 23, 2017

Cleanups… A Love/Hate Relationship!

Who Loves a Cleanup?    Who Hates it?


The Hate part:

No one should have to do cleanups on pubic land outside of cleaning up just what you took in.  I find it infuriating that some people show no respect for the value of our public land, no respect for others who wish to recreate there and no respect for the sport of recreational shooting.
Having to cleanup someone else’s trash at shooting sites is not part of my recreational plan!  I hate that part!

The Love part:

Cleanups are much more than simply removing trash.  It’s the people part I like best.  It’s the comradery, the teamwork and the spirit of the volunteers.  It’s the statement we make when we join together as a unified voice to say; “We value the privilege”, “We are committed to responsible recreation” and “We respect all who visit public land”.

If you think about it, there are many positive things you can attribute to volunteering.  Things like; the self-satisfaction you get from knowing you did the right thing, the good you do for the environment, the stand against irresponsible recreation and a whole lot more.  Whether we like it or not, we still do it with great anticipation of making a better outdoor adventure for everyone.  I love that part!

The Challenging part:

I see the forest without any trash.  Healthy trees free from bullet holes.  No broken glass to step on.  People recreating and abiding by the rules.  A dream you say?  A goal I say!

It’s a goal prefaced with a challenge… “Find a solution to the problem”!  I had hoped for a simple solution…  “Just clean it and they will keep it clean”.  Not so!  “Tell them about the rules and they will abide by them”.  Some do, many don’t.  “Raise more awareness”.  Not easy for one person to do, but, one can do a lot!  “Make better places to shoot where they are easy to clean, safer to use and more user friendly than stumbling through the thick brush or boulders of jagged rock”.  That’s not easy thing to convince forest officials and it takes an upfront investment.  It is, however, a viable and good option.

Achieving the goal is going to take a variety of efforts.  There is no one singular solution to this problem.  Our goal is a big challenge.  One I feel is worthy of my efforts.

Reach the Goal part:

The ‘common sense’ side of me says “It’s too big for one person to do.  I need help”.  Many people feel the same way as I and many have supported the efforts towards the goal.  Being encouraged by their support, Trash No Land was formed.

Its purpose is to represent the recreational target shooting community on public land.  It is to be an organization where gun owners ban together and meet the challenge head on.  Its multiple people doing multiple things, all focused on the common goal.  Its innovative thinking, discussion, planning, communicating, partnering, boots on the ground.  Its people and their unique talents working together to make a better recreational experience.  And that's the best part of all!

Join Trash No Land and let’s get to work!  Together!


Thank you all!

Bill Cogley

No comments:

Post a Comment