We’ve all seen it. I’m sure we’ve all left something behind. I’m not one for boy scouts anymore but the one thing that stuck with me was the whole leave no trace, leave only foot prints and take only pictures thing.

When I go to a stream I do so usually in a 1995 Ford F-150. She’s got almost 250k on her and runs great but she doesn’t get great gas milage. As a result of my non-eco friendly friend and my desire to make up for it I will be collecting trash from the streams I visit this summer with an end goal to fill the back end of my pick-up. I have a topper so trash won’t blow out. Recently I began collecting….Humans.

I love going to trout streams, with or without my stick. This, in my opinion, is one of the most beautiful places in the state and it could be better but I know we all know this. Do you leave trash behind? I think its bad enough that my lost leader and tippet won’t bio-degrade for a good 500 years, I would never leave anything on purpose. I am just writing this to encourage those of you who see it, but don’t create it, to help pick it up. It won’t be as easy for someone to leave a bunch of trash behind if the stream looks pristine, unlike my coffee table which self-perpetuates a mess.