I am an out-of-state, long-term visitor to Moapa Valley. There are lots of things to like and enjoy about the Valley. My favorite is the Reservoir. To me, it’s the jewel of Moapa Valley.
However, every time I visit, I am saddened by the amount of trash visitors leave behind. Perhaps clean up campaigns like DoingGoodTogther.org, “Leave No Trace” or “Pitch In” haven’t reached the Valley. Still, is there no common sense here, folks? You haul stuff in – you haul stuff out, including your trash. That’s pretty simple, isn’t it?
On a typical visit, I am stepping around plastic bottles, aluminum cans, cardboard cartons, disposable diapers, plastic bags, papers, used cigarettes & empty packs, clothing and so on. Instead of just walking along the shore with my dog enjoying the serenity and beauty, I’m now dragging along a trash bag with me picking up other people’s rubbish.
Someone tried to tell me it was non-valley residents that leave the trash. Nice try. That may be true to some extent but I see a lot of trash around town here. It’s locals as well. (Have you no pride, people?)
I understand that visitors to the Reservoir may not bring much revenue into the Valley as, say, visitors to the Logandale Trails or Lake Mead, but it’s an important part of the Valley and deserves better consideration.
Perhaps the community – residents and businesses – could get more involved, with the Irrigation Company taking the lead on this. What about an Annual Cleanup the Reservoir Day? Prizes could be given to the persons and organizations that fill the most trash bags. Perhaps Republic Services could be approached to have a dumpster there that is emptied regularly. Perhaps local businesses could sponsor signage reminding visitors that the Reservoir should be a trash-free environment. Perhaps Metro could be persuaded to visit the Reservoir during their patrols to remind people to haul their trash away (I believe that alone would be a huge deterrent to litterers).
Then again, perhaps nobody cares. Obviously, the Neanderthals who leave trash there don’t (and they probably don’t or can’t read). And maybe the community as a whole doesn’t care either. Still, I, a non-resident, will continue to pick up YOUR trash and try as much as possible to enjoy YOUR jewel.
Monty Scott
