Litter on the lakes

[MAXUM]

Originally Posted by Ms Molly McKever

A Derby official on Thursday said "That is a lot of personal debris that is left there, It has nothing to do with the derby". ??????????????? Derby officials have to take ownership of this problem. If not END THE DERBY.

That is not the right answer to give, that Derby "official" is a meathead for saying that.

The Derby may attract some additional people to the area for one weekend but for the folks that setup there for the season (where most of this debris is from) they aren't there because of the derby - heck I'd be surprised if most of them didn't even participate in it.

[Ms Molly McKever]

Originally Posted by MAXUM

That is not the right answer to give, that Derby "official" is a meathead for saying that.

The Derby may attract some additional people to the area for one weekend but for the folks that setup there for the season (where most of this debris is from) they aren't there because of the derby - heck I'd be surprised if most of them didn't even participate in it.

Ice in the bay was clean before the derby, Was not after the derby, Did not call anyone a meathead. That is your word maxun, was not in my post.

[kauriel]

Skimming is illegal in NH. Did the cleanup break any laws?

[robmac]

It seems to happen year after year and the town the state nor epa have made any headway to put in place ways to control the trash problem. I wish derby officials see to it the ice and lake were in the condition prior to the event. Aren't permits issued?

[MAXUM]

Originally Posted by Ms Molly McKever

Ice in the bay was clean before the derby, Was not after the derby, Did not call anyone a meathead. That is your word maxun, was not in my post.

I called the derby "official" a meathead because providing an indifferent answer to the trash problem IE "it's not our fault" is in no way helpful. Sorry was not inferring you said that. I did!

At the same time... the ice was clean until everyone cleared off - that isn't a reflection of the derby being held or not. It's a reflection of the carelessness of those that had bob houses out there and left behind a bunch of crap, and for that there is absolutely no excuse.

[camp guy]

Hold it!! This thread is insane. There is no question that after the Derby there is litter all over the place. This has been the case in the past, obviously again this year, and, unless there is a major change, will be the case next year.

Some how this condition got tossed in with people being on the ice picking up litter, and, sadly, considering the events of a few weeks ago, the topic lost its focus and became all about who was stupid or who was not stupid. As we all found out rather trajically, being on the ice may not a good idea, but this doesn't make those trying to clean up "stupid".

Lighten up, people, life is too short for all these 'hair triggers'.

[donnamatrix]

I am part of the Rotary. We are all volunteers who work our tails off for a year to make the Derby a success. All revenues from the Derby, or any Rotary function, go right into the communities we serve: Rotary does not financially benefit in any way. That said, Pond Hockey pays a group of people to clean up the detritus from the lake after their event. Nice if you have the money to do that. The ice fishermen leave a mess, it cannot be disputed. It is disgusting and disrespectful to say the least. It is also illegal, just like skimming.
NH Fish&Game Law Enforcement tries, and has had success in the past, to locate and fine those responsible. Our president Ray Moritz, recently posted to this message regarding the trash on the lake:

The Meredith Rotary Club is well aware of the amount of debris left on Meredith Bay following the Fishing Derby. Members of our club, as well as community members, are very concerned about the lake and its ecology.
The Rotary Club has received some inflammatory comments accusing us of "only caring about making money," which is neither fair or accurate.
All proceeds from the Derby go to support charitable needs in the Lakes Region: we do not keep a penny of it. To the contrary, our Rotary volunteers contribute both time and money in this effort to support the communities we serve. To say we only care about the money is both unfair to our Rotary volunteers and inaccurate.
Secondly, we care about the Bay, its cleanliness and ecology, and we, like others, are upset with the mess that was left behind. We post signs, our brochure stresses that littering on the lake is illegal, we provide trash barrels, and a dumpster. We also conduct a Bay cleanup in the spring; once again, all volunteer efforts.
And now, due to the trash that was left behind we have added to our agenda on the “Lessoned Learned” wrap-up meeting soon to be held, the formation of a post derby Ice cleanup committee, once more asking our Rotary volunteers give of themselves in service to the community.
We are also enlisting the help of the NH Fish and Game Law Enforcement officers to help prevent illegal littering.
As the Rotary is an all volunteer effort, and it takes many hours prior to the event to ensure success, we welcome the help of everyone in the community post-Derby to ensure the Bay is left in a pristine condition.
Ray Moritz, President, Meredith Rotary

[ishoot308]

Thanks for posting that Donnamatrix! The only part I will disagree with is its not only the fishermen, the vendors also leave a mess, not all but some as I have personally seen and picked up a lot of their debris after the derby.

Thanks for reminding us how the rotary supports the community!

Dan

[SIKSUKR]

How about this. Any bobhouse on NH lakes must have an ID number on it both front and top. Easy enough to use a drone and fly around over the event and see who's house was where. Go get em.

[robmac]

I agree they should have an ID# and be checked periodically

[jeffk]

I applaud the Rotary for its actions. It appears they were already taking strong action to encourage people to clean up. Unfortunately there are those who refuse to clean up after themselves. Given this reality, the Rotary is stepping up it's game to deal with the problem. THANK YOU for all you do for this event and stepping up to deal with a problem in a forthright manner.

Others in this thread say you can't get it all because people are still there after the event. While true, it doesn't preclude taking steps, like the Rotary has, to do as much as you can.

Maybe Fish & Game needs to visit Bob Houses as the season winds down, take pictures of potential problems and post notices on the houses with obvious trash piles.

[Ms Molly McKever]

Originally Posted by robmac

I agree they should have an ID# and be checked periodically

This has become a blame game, A plan has to be in place for next year. I hate to think what's at the bottom of the bay. Has anyone looked ? Cleaning in spring is great, But the ice has to be cleaned before the junk sinks

[Onshore]

Originally Posted by SIKSUKR

How about this. Any bobhouse on NH lakes must have an ID number on it both front and top. Easy enough to use a drone and fly around over the event and see who's house was where. Go get em.

Are you suggesting that a state agency purchase a drone to do low-level aerial surveillance for enforcement purposes? You did say this in jest, right?

[Taz]

Are you saying no ID is required on the bobhouses? My wife has told me when growing up on Champlain in NY you were required to label your (they called them shantys) with your name and phone number on some kind of plaque, if it went down you paid for the removal. If no ID is required in NH whats wrong this state. That's ridiculous.

[Acrossamerica]

Has any one seen the dead horse that has been beaten over this topic. Hope it does not fall into the lake.

[ishoot308]

Originally Posted by Taz

Are you saying no ID is required on the bobhouses? My wife has told me when growing up on Champlain in NY you were required to label your (they called them shantys) with your name and phone number on some kind of plaque, if it went down you paid for the removal. If no ID is required in NH whats wrong this state. That's ridiculous.

Name, address and phone number are REQUIRED on all bob houses....

Dan

[Hillcountry]

Originally Posted by ishoot308

Name, address and phone number are REQUIRED on all bob houses....

Dan

Dan, it's name and address only...no phone number required per NH Fish and Game digest.
I had a bob house on Newfound this year (first time) and was checked by wardens a couple of times...the only fault was not enough reflective tape per side (12 sq inches required) my house was manufactured with about half of that.

[ishoot308]

Originally Posted by Hillcountry

Dan, it's name and address only...no phone number required per NH Fish and Game digest.
I had a bob house on Newfound this year (first time) and was checked by wardens a couple of times...the only fault was not enough reflective tape per side (12 sq inches required) my house was manufactured with about half of that.

Thanks for the clarification....

I put a phone number on mine and one year I got a phone call from a snowmobiler who was completely lost on the lake during a snowstorm. He was borderline hysterical...called me and wanted directions on how to get to Weirs beach. I got his name and phone number then gave him directions as best I could and told him to make sure to call me when he was safely on land. That son of a bitch never called me back so I got concerned. I kept calling his cell number that night till he answered... after reading him the riot act and many apologies from him he told me he ended up on Long Island and called someone to pick him up! True story!

Dan