The Reason for the Silence: Protecting Mother Nature

                Things are getting quieter down by the little pond, but not in a “peaceful summer evening” kind of way with brilliant sunsets, sighing breezes and the gentle distant splash of flipper and wing.

                No. It’s getting quiet in a “something’s very wrong here” sort of a way.

                Once upon a time, no so very long ago, that pond crawled with critters. There would be two or three families of mallards, with a couple of females sometimes leading a dozen chicks around behind them. Sometimes two or three beautiful emerald-headed males would glide around together. Geese would conglomerate by the bunch, resting on the grass or playing around in the water. A Red-Necked Grebe once took up residence and raised a chick there. We got to see how Mama Grebe dove deep into the water and came up with a mouthful of plants which she deposited into baby’s waiting bill. We even once spotted a couple of Bufflehead Ducks out paddling around.

                It used to be very common for the air to be alive with quacks and honks and chirps and the distinctive merry laughter of the Grebe. Birds would soar over the pond and then come in for a landing with a mighty and exciting SPLAAAASH!!!!

                Now there is silence.

                Oh sure, we’ve seen ducks a couple of times, and some geese, too. But, much to our confusion, they all vanished almost immediately. Even the Grebe showed up briefly once and hasn’t been seen since.

                Now, more days than not, the water is silent and empty. Not a creature in sight. And we have the awful feeling that we know exactly why.

                Each year our quiet little pond gets more and more thick with garbage. The reeds are heavy with beer cans, liquor bottles, plastic bags and all manner of fast food containers. From time to time we see bicycle handles poking above the surface and, in one spot, a grocery cart can be seen partially buried in the pond bed. When the water is clear, you can see all kinds of old, junk on the bottom graying away from seasons past.

                But this year, it seems to be worse than ever. I was noticing that the other day as I peered over the railing into a mass of trash choking out the bulrushes. I wouldn’t be at all shocked if this was the reason the creatures are disappearing. And can you blame them? I mean, if you were a Mother or a Father, would you want to raise your babies on top of a pile of rubbish? Wouldn’t you go looking for somewhere else to raise them? Anywhere else?

                Of course, they may need a little luck with that. This is problem is nowhere near exclusive to our little pond. In the last few years I’ve found it more and more difficult to find a creek, pond or tributary where I could watch the birds and other creatures without having to peer around cups, cans and bottles.

                The question – the big, BIG question – is why on earth is this happening? Only once we find that out will we be able to answer the other huge question: How do we stop it for once and for all?

Click here to read more about the litter problem

                I did a bit of online searching and found that I’m not the only one who’s been asking this question. Numerous studies have shown several answers come up over and over.

1.       Laziness: Well, I can believe that. I was looking out over the lake, worrying about that garbage just the other day when I turned around and counted no fewer than four trash barrels just steps away from the railing. We have to, somehow, make it more trouble to throw the trash in the pond than to walk 10 feet to a trash can. Way more trouble.

2.       Ignorance: Some folks just don’t get the profound impact that littering has on our environment and why that should matter to them.

3.       Dirty Environment: People are more likely to litter in a place that’s already strewn with trash. So as soon as you see something you can reach, pick it up and dispose of it properly. The cleaner we keep our parks and public areas, the less likely other will be to litter there again. (We hope!)

4.       Lack of Responsibility: This is the biggie, and the hardest to answer. Studies show that people really don’t see litter or cleanliness as their responsibility. “It’s a city-owned park, right? So let the city clean it up. It’s not my problem. So why should I bother to walk all the way to a trash can, much less pick up anybody else’s garbage?” What a terrible and infuriating attitude.

People are working on the litter problem all the time, and sometimes making some progress. But the problem persists.

Here are some examples of some anti-litter programs that were considered successful.

 Meanwhile, there are a few little things we can each do as individuals to help take a step forward.

·         Gently and respectfully encourage a healthy attitude in all around you.

·         Throw out your trash and other trash you see blowing around. Remember, once it hits the water, it’s impossible to get it back without a boat or scuba gear.

·         Use re-usable containers for your lunch and snacks so there is nothing to throw away after the fact.

Here are some suggestions for preventing litter in your neighborhood

The other day, I went down to the pond again and looked out at the silent, empty water. Then I wandered around the perimeter. As I approached a particular clump of rushes, a mother duck and her single baby chick suddenly rustled out of the brush, slipped into the water and paddled away.

                Hope?

        

     "101020 Müll Ballon Reuss001" by Nienetwiler - Own work. Licensed under CC BY 2.5 ch via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:101020_M%C3%BCll_Ballon_Reuss001.jpg#/media/File:101020_M%C3%BCll_Ballon_Reuss001.jpg