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[Xgolfman]

Merc and I headed up to both scope out some promising spots and to get some practice in with our fly/spey gear...But this isn't a fishing report...
I thought long and hard about whether to post this or not..but it just pisses me off so much I figure I'll throw it out there and you can all be your own judges...

Here's the question....

Why do we bother doing the river clean ups???

First off, I didn't make this one as I had to work...I tend to make the effort to make at least two each year as I feel as I use the river I should look after it...I know there are guys who live minutes from it and fish it the days we do the clean up but can't be botherd to help out and I always thought that was pretty weak...maybe I've been wrong..

We started at a spot that another website has "adopted" and it was literally a sh*thole when we walked in...garbage, fires, toilet paper and crap everywhere... I asked Merc if this wasn't his sites spot to clean up and he said, "Yeah, but maybe no one made it out yesterday" Whether they did or didn't...who knows cause it was horrible...
This brought up a point or bone that has been sticking in my throat since the mid river people decided to blockade our parking spots..
Why bother doing a clean up on the mid river if we aren't good enough to park there???
Yup, I can hear all the answers but honestly, I some how feel like, Screw them, they got what they wanted and now let them clean it up...
OK, pissy point #2
Upper river, even after the clean up was looked like it never got touched...we saw more campers and garbage then ever before as they can't get spots lower down now...It was crowded on the river but not from fisherman...We stopped to look at a couple holes thinking it would be a gong show but we only saw two guys in waders looking at the river, no one fishing it...
There is ZERO respect from most of these guy/gals for the river..they leave sh*t everywhere and don't even put out their fires..
So we ended the day down on the lower...by the train bridge..As we walked out we got to get missed narrowly by billy bob throwing his 10th or more pallet off the back of his truck for the "big fire" they were going to have, litterally 5 or 6 trucks parked on the river or above, hillbilly music blasting...some idiot cut down one of the tree's by the river with an axe..(Don't know if it was them)...gonna be awefully nice when some mom and her little kid are pulling nails out of there feet for the next month down there...
Lastly, I shouldn't neglect the float tubers etc...beer cans and boxes floating freely, watching a guy kick his girlfriends inner tube to wards a giant log jam and everyone laugh as she scrambled to narrowly miss it...( I looked at Merc and said, "I thought we were going to witness a drowning")

SO....I had to ask myself and Merc yesterday..."Why bother?" Honestly, where are your police or park service or ANYONE?? I've been up there enough to know the drill but it's becoming nothing more then a lawless society up there with NO repercussions..I'm sure Chris will talk allot more sense and make reason of all this...and deep down I know it's for the river not the idiots that use it that we do the clean ups...
At some point I have to agree with what a guy said to me more then once.."The river clean up is a great thing to do etc. but how many people come up there and throw out their garbage because they know someone else or the river itself will clean it up for them?" How many people would go up and camp if the river was covered in garbage and don't cleaned up? At what point would the outcry become effective enough that the police and park service would actually start making sure the idiots were booted out and arrested...Would that start the ball rolling on individuals being held accountable for themselves for a F***ing change instead of all this personal freedom and my right to be here B.S.

[Geff_t]

I agree where are the parks people. The only time I have ever seen them is when the trails where closed a couple of years ago due to the fire hazard. They where sure on you quick back then if they saw you parked on the side of the road. Why can they not be there during the summer when all the crap gets left behind.

[speycaster]

Until the goverment allows us to leave bodies beside their garbage nothing will change. Our group spent about 4 hours cleaning the sites that were designated to us. We filled a large dumpster about one third full. Had a long talk with a group of campers about their site and how i expected to find it on Tuesday when i go back there. About the bad things that could happen to them and their vehicles if they got me pissed off. When you scare people enough they even supply names and addresses. Also told them to go out and buy the bible of how to dispose of human waste, the book is called "how to cupcakes in the woods" and every one should have a copy. I picked up a full large garbage bag of toilet paper, disposable diapers and used womens sanitary products. 

[adriaticum]

Whack them on the pocket.
A $1000 fine for littering.
Suspend driving license for a month.

[Fishingbum]

Paul for years I have fished the Vedder and always made a point of taking out more than I took in. One thing I  have noticed since groups have got involved is that the piles of removed garbage are bigger due to the amount of people removing the waste but there is also a lot more garbage on the river to start with. About 7 years ago I got sick fed up cleaning up after others and decided I was not their mother and would no longer cleanup after them. I reached this decision one day when I reminded a fisherman that he should take his empty beer bottles with him as he was leaving the river his answer was for me to mind my own business or I would get the broken end of a bottle shoved in my face.
No longer my brothers keeper I go about my business with rose coloured glasses enjoying my time on the river as best I can and try to stay away from  the usual camping areas, does this Pi$$ me off sure it does but if I don't let it slide the consequences could ruin my whole day possibly my life.


Next time you decide to throw that two hander around give me a call.

  Ian 

[Xgolfman]

Paul for years I have fished the Vedder and always made a point of taking out more than I took in. One thing I  have noticed since groups have got involved is that the piles of removed garbage are bigger due to the amount of people removing the waste but there is also a lot more garbage on the river to start with. About 7 years ago I got sick fed up cleaning up after others and decided I was not their mother and would no longer cleanup after them. I reached this decision one day when I reminded a fisherman that he should take his empty beer bottles with him as he was leaving the river his answer was for me to mind my own business or I would get the broken end of a bottle shoved in my face.
No longer my brothers keeper I go about my business with rose coloured glasses enjoying my time on the river as best I can and try to stay away from  the usual camping areas, does this Pi$$ me off sure it does but if I don't let it slide the consequences could ruin my whole day possibly my life.


Thanks Ian, I'll be giving you a shout, was out below and spent the whole afternoon doing it..semi effectively...much larger learning curve then I thought but slowly seeing some progress...good to see you on here..Your expertice would be greatly appreciated...

Next time you decide to throw that two hander around give me a call.

  Ian 

[Jonny 5]

People are pigs!      I saw some girls float tubing down a little creek with about 12-20 beer cans floating beside them.  A guy that was walking down beside them stopped them and gave them a garbage bag and made them clean up the river side... good for him, but people shouldn't even need to be told. 

[oddjob]

All the signs will say the maximum fine , has anyone ever heard what type fine they really get , probially just a slap on the wrist. Why can't they increase the fines and post minumum fines, that will discourage a lot  people from littering . Most signs may read maximum fine for littering $ 1000 .

[stlhd4ever]

You can't stop them they will keep moving farther up river.

[Fish Assassin]

I totally share your frustration Xgolfman. I too have questioned the point of cleaning up the rivers when morons come around and dump more garbage. A part of me says what's the point of a cleanup ? Just leave the garbage there and let the people jdump all they want until it's so bad they wouldn't come back. 

[BigFisher]

All you can do is look out for yourself, and hopefully set and example for the rest....

[2:40]

Might as well keep up the good fight. We need more teeth in the laws. It shouldnt be hard to target these clowns using existing legislation. Almost ALL of these campers have open booze in their sites. Since this is Crown Land (public) they should be charged and have all booze feeding the trees and grass. What fun is it to come if the cops are just going to take your booze each time?

Open up a couple more designated campsites with toilet facilities and so forth. It wouldnt be hard to make ends meet if those are the only places to camp in the area.

Chilliwack RCMP should really set up roadblocks every Friday evening and Saturdays. I know Mission RCMP, with a 1/4 the members, do this and find it's very much worth their time and it does cut down on the BS further up the road.

It's pretty frustrating though. Im surprised to hear the Boulder Hole was what it was.  I know the area right below the bridge got hit well and the campers that were there sent on their way. 

[chris gadsden]

Court case pending on a dumper caught a few weeks ago. Waiting for the court date.

[kingpin]

chris did you attend the meeting tonight in regards to the rendering plant they want to open on the site of cattermole? i sure as hell dont want to smell that everyday

[chris gadsden]

chris did you attend the meeting tonight in regards to the rendering plant they want to open on the site of cattermole? i sure as hell dont want to smell that everyday

No I did not, should have I guess but 5 of us had a 5 hour meeting dealing with gravel removal issues on the Chilliwack and Fraser.