NO DUMPING….?

 

"No Dumping" says it all....?

Nov. 16, 2009 – Cartoon says it all…..It is what it is…!   We in the trail business do have a sense of humor, sometimes.  To bad dogs can’t read, because dog owners sure can’t.  On a recent hike to pick up trash along the trail from a trail head all I found was piles and piles of dog crap along the trail.  The responsible dog owner picks up after his dog then dumps it in a trash can at the trail head.   “Pack it in…Pack it out!”    There is another cartoon out there from the “Far-Side” I think….shows a bear putting a sewer pipe from the woods/forrest through a side window into a house and giving the signal to the pipeline operator(another bear) to turn it on…

Then there is the dog owner who picks up his dogs business in a bag (thank you); but then leaves it along side the trail???@#@#$  Why?    Or how about the 16oz soda cup or Grande Starbucks cup found sitting 1-mile in from the trail head? You drank it walking here when it was full and heavy, why not cary it back light and empty?  “Leave No Trace” that you were here .

 

Trail Enforcement takes many forms…

The River Mountains Loop Trail within the City of Henderson falls under the Federal land management of the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR); however, enforcement of trail rules, ordinances and NRS falls to the City of Henderson Police  and to a lesser degree the Parks and Recreation Departments.  The RMLT from Railroad Pass on the south to Lake Mead National Recreation Area on the Northeast is patrolled by the Henderson Police Dept.  using a variety of modes or forms of transportation. 

On any given day or hour of the day you may see HPD trucks, cars, motorcycles, ATV’s, bicycles, and even horses patrolling along the trail corridor.  Their patrols are for user safety.  The trail has been GPS’d and trail mileage markers are used for reference points.  You will also see Trail Watch volunteers wearing orange vests along the trail through out the day. These volunteers are trained to be the “eyes and ears” on all of Henderson’s trails. Again for the safety of trail users.

HPD ATV Units

What type of Enforcement Issues are they looking for??  The rules applicable to city parks apply along the trail.

• Dogs on leash
• Trash and illegal dumping
• Non-authorized vehicles, ATV’s and motorcycles on trail
• Fire-arms and target shooting on, near or across the trail
• Use after closing hours
• Other non-authorized uses

 

 

 

HPD Mounted horse patrol

Besides Enforcement HPD and Trail Watch are also there to provide:

• Information and directions to trail users
• Aid and assistance as needed
• Trail safety and maintenance needs
• A positive use influence along the trail

 

 

 

 

Trail Watch Volunteers

Additional Enforcement is provided in the River Mountains area by National Park Service Rangers; BLM Wilderness Rangers; and both Nevada Dept. of Wildlife and U.S Fish and Wildlife.

 Gallery Photos:

 

HPD ATV Units

HPD Mounted horse patrol

Trail Watch Volunteers

HPD ATV patrols MM6.5

Does this pile of Trash and Household Garbage belong to you??!!

 

Desert Dumping 4-11-09

April 11, 2009

- While doing a volunteer trail project Saturday morning a group of us came across this pile of trash, yard clippings and just plan old household garbage. Ten plus bags of it just off the trail. This trash could have been left at the curb for Republic Services to pick up, at no cost to the owner; or he or she could have taken it to the Republic Services transfer station and dumped it for free, legally. Now an enforcement officer will go through the trash, look for any item with a name and address on it, cite the owner into court where various degrees of fines can be leveled on the owner. You see, according to Nevada Revised Statues (NRS) you own this trash until it is properly disposed of in a legal landfill. I hope this is not your trash, as the next knock at your door could be the police.

The desert is not a dump…it is our responsibliity to be good stewards of the land.

So love it more…:)

 Photo Gallery of dumps:

Desert Dumping 4-11-09

Hay left at SNWA rest area May 2009

Garbage dump & dog photo by Paul may 2009

Trash dump in desert Pauls dog photo May 2009

 

 

 

 

Trail Trash in the Bag March 21st

Trail Clean up March 2009

March 26, 2009 -  Saturday morning March 21st was a clear warm pleasant spring day. Some hundred plus volunteers showed up at Equestrain Park for what has become an annual River Mountains Loop Trail clean up.  The group split up into three groups and cleaned three different areas along the trail. There was also a Boy Scout Troop/cub pack which worked within the Equestrain Park picking up trash.

I had volunteered to work in group#3 which went to a new area of trail at the City of Henderson – National Park Service boundary near Lake Las Vegas. The lands are actually managed by the Bureau of Reclamation.  This area was an old rock gravel pit/mining area, target shooting, illegal camping, etc. and has not been clean up in 10-yrs easy. 

We had a great group of 16 hard working people including 11 Navy recruits soon to ship off to boot camp. We probably covered the shortest distance of any group, but collected the most heavy duty trash.  We picked up buckets of glass, concrete, tires, railroad ties, car parts, mattresess, tree limbs, and much much more.

We really appreciate our trail volunteers.  THANKS A MILLION!!!!

Un-authorized Roads and Trails to be studied

The Bureau of Reclamation and the City of Henderson to begin a study of unauthorized roads, paths and trails into the River Mountains. Over the last 10-12 years with the development of the SNWA pipelines, Water treatment plant, Powerlines and the River Mountains Loop Trail many new roads and trails have been cut into the desert and the River Mountains on Bureau of Reclamation managed lands. Some of the these roads are authorized for access and patrol of utilities by authorized vehicles.  Many more are not.  An inventory process has already begun by B.O.R. on both types of roads/trails along with dumps sites and environmental issues needing clean up. Along with help from the City of Henderson, and others; a plan will be formulated to restore the desert, remove unnecessarily roads and trails over time.  Wherever possible re-vegetation will be done to restore natural habitat. The hope is that through these methods and public education these areas can return to a natural state before man’s careless activities destroyed them in the first place.  The most active areas of un-authorized uses may require temporary use of k-rails, post and cable, and large  rocks until nature can take hold.

Many of these un-authorized roads and trails lead to other un-authorized uses such as desert dumping on Federal BOR lands; striping and burning of vehicles; target shooting near housing; endangerment of desert tortoise and big horn sheep; violation of PM-10 dust regulations; etc.

One thing I have learned is patience…it took ten years to do the damage and it will take even longer to fix it. So let’s all do our part.

Illegal Dumping – Do your part to stop it!

Dumping in the desert is illegal. It is bad for the environment and it is bad for the wildlife that lives there. I and alot of my trail friends are tired of dumping in the desert and we will report it.  Trail Watch volunteers are trained to report illegal dumping, so beware. Fines for dumping can cost you $500.00 and up.  I have been involved in upto two trail clean up events each year for the last five years and it still amazes me what gets dumped in our desert. Trust me when I say that “Eyes and ears” are watching the desert along the River Mountains Loop Trail.  Please bag it and can it at the curb.

DO YOUR PART TO STOP IT BY REPORTING IT!

What To Do If You…find dumped materials.  If you did not witness the dumping, but want to file a complaint about illegally dumped materials, gather information on the materials, such as:

• Location
• Description of materials
• Date You observed the materials

Submit all complaints to: Clark County Health District

By Phone(702) 759-0600     Online: www.cchd.org                 Email: cleanup@cchd.org

WHAT To Do If You…Witness or know of materials illegally dumped.

If you have witnessed an illegal dumping or know of a site where materials have been illegally dumped, gather as much information as possible, such as:

• Name of Individual, if known
• vehicle Description
• License Plate Information
• Date and time of dumping
• Dump site location
• Description of material (household trash, construction materials, landscape trimings)
• Pictures you have taken

Submit all information to: City of Henderson –

Code Enforcement –

Phone: (702)-267-3950

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT: http://www.donttrashnevada.org/