Leaving no trace must apply to all activities

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At the risk of offending your sensibilities this morning, I’d like to … well … engage in some bathroom talk.

I know, I know, it doesn’t sound like great breakfast-time reading. But it could be important. And I promise not to get too graphic.

As you likely realize (unless you’ve been cooped up inside for the past three weeks), winter weather is certainly upon us.

Your local fishing hole is busily freezing as we speak. And sooner or later, you’re going to get the itch to head out onto that frozen landscape, drill a few holes, and try your luck.

Just do us all a favor and remember one thing: Any waste you leave is having an effect on how others view us ice anglers.

That’s right. Any waste.

That became crystal clear last week when I sat down to chat with Alison Dibble of Brooklin.

Dibble is a plant conservation biologist and ecologist by trade, and she loves the outdoors … just like you and me.

A couple of years ago, while on a winter jaunt to a local pond, she happened upon a sight that left an impact on her.

“Someone had left their mess right there in the bushes on the shore of the pond,” she said. “Beautiful Craig Pond, where I love to swim.”

Most of us, truth be told, have had occasion to … well … act like the proverbial bear, and … well … go in the woods.

But Dibble brought up a good point or two.

Do we have to? Or do we have to do so in places that others are apt to discover?

We hunters and fishermen often like to say that we’re conservationists. We like to say that we love the outdoors, and its serenity, and its beauty.

But whenever you end up in places that outdoor enthusiasts enjoy, you’re likely to find a similar mess … or worse.

At one of my favorite unimproved camp sites, for instance, an unsuspecting firewood forager is apt to get more than he bargained for if he heads into the woods.

Not only is there … well … that stuff, there’s also every other kind of debris you can imagine. Chief among that trash: spent fuel canisters that are used on some lamps and stoves.

Dozens of them.

Dibble’s main concern in the matter is that she wants those special places that we all love to remain special and not end up polluted … well … messes.

Her goal is noble, and I share it. She also realizes that getting people to change their actions might be a bit difficult.

“I started talking to friends of mine who are sportsmen, and asked them, ‘Why are some people not taking care of their waste in a proper manner?'” Dibble said. “I got a whole spectrum of replies, as you might expect. A lot of people said, ‘Good luck. Nobody wants to talk about this.'”

Which is exactly why we’re talking about it this morning.

Dibble admits that she doesn’t know exactly what effect a pile of human excrement will have on a given water. But she’s probably safe in assuming it would be better if wasn’t there.

“I don’t have data. I deal in data, and I don’t have data that even says it is a problem,” she said. “But certainly people need to realize that their actions, compounded by tens of thousands of others across the whole state, ultimately do have some sort of polluting effect.”

You’d certainly think so.

So, what do we do … when we do what we do?

Good question.

I’m not going to get into the dirty details here, but there are plenty of Internet Web sites that will tell you all you need to know about the “Leave No Trace” outdoor model.

In essence, it’s a pretty simple idea: If you take it in, pack it out. No matter what it is.

Also available on the Web are all kinds of products that could help toward that end. Did you know, for instance, that you can get your hands on a nice portable toilet (perfect for home, garage and the ice shack) for about 30 bucks?

Neither did I. But I do now.

Will all of us leave no trace, every time we go outdoors? Of course not. But if a few more of us do, that’s a good thing.

Latti moving to DOT

I received an e-mail on Wednesday that was a bit of a downer. It seems that longtime Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife spokesman Mark Latti has ended his nine-year tenure at the agency and taken another state job.

Latti will begin work in a similar position at the Department of Transportation in January.

In my dealings with Latti – and there were plenty – I always found him to be a great ambassador for the state and its fish and wildlife agency.

If he told you he’d call back with info … he did. If he told you he’d do the best he could to set up an interview … he did.

And he did all that in a low-key, unflappable, efficient manner.

The DIF&W has not been without its controversies over the years, and Latti often served as the contact person when one brouhaha or other was brewing.

Through it all, he maintained his calm, professional demeanor, went about his work and made many journalists’ lives easier in the process.

He’ll certainly be missed at the DIF&W, and that department’s loss will undoubtedly be the DOT’s gain.

jholyoke@bangordailynews.net

990-8214