I was out in East Mojave recently and continue to be amazed at the disrespect shown to our outdoors. Discarded beer cans, beer bottles, fast-food wrappers, empty shotgun shells, plastic bags, etc. How do we get the message across to pick up after ourselves? This applies to everyone using the outdoors, from hikers, hunters, and fishermen to birdwatchers. Do we throw our beer cans on the ground at home? Then why do it in the desert? I enjoy bird hunting in the desert in the fall and winter, but I don't enjoy seeing trash left by slob hunters who spoil it for the rest of us. If you are hunting with a shotgun, pick up your empties after shooting. It's not so tough to bend down and pick up that empty shell and leave the area like you found it.
We recently hunted in an area of the Lucerne Valley that attracts target shooters. To see where someone shot a box of shotguns shells and left all the empty shells on the ground is disgusting and disrespectful of our sport. There are many areas of the Cleveland National Forest that are now closed to target shooting because shooters left empty shells, shot up targets, broken bottles, shot up appliances, and other debris behind. If we don't want to lose the privilege to shoot in BLM areas, we need to clean up and make sure others do too. Let's all show more respect for the outdoors!
