Step 1

 

Clean Water Sustainability

So you’re sitting by the bank, no bites on the old fly-line, beer and food running out, this is something that you have not become accustomed to being a fly-fisherman in Pennsylvania, until recently. My last few trips to local lakes around Pennsylvania have been dismal compared to past years. Less fish means less fun and less fun means less memories, one thing that fly-fisherman pride themselves on is their stories. The water has become less clear, and defiled with trash winding its way down the river, and the shores have become a safe haven for garbage, the most common being beer cans. Though fishing and drinking have become hand-in-hand over the years, fisherman and people in general need to take heed of the mess that littering and not recycling can cause to streams rivers and lakes. Not only the quality of water, but the quality of fish is diminishing in front of our very eyes. I believe if we were to focus on a recycling program near popular river banks, there would be less trash infiltrating our water-systems and beaches. I believe we change this behavior, our fishing will flourish, and all kinds of people will be able to enjoy our waterways. There will be great challenges in changing this behavior, because we cannot simply have people along the water, hiding trying to catch people littering all over the state of pennsylvania. At this point we can only hope that people will do the right thing, and recycle along these fishing areas, preventing fish from getting tangled in a plastic six pack holder. Over the next couple of weeks when I go fly-fishing with friends, my attempt to keep the water and its surrounding area clean will be successful. I will bring an extra bag for trash with me and pick-up trash along the banks. Overall, we need to not only save the water by keeping it clean, but all of its inhabitants. If we do not take action by cleaning this water up, we won’t have places to enjoy peace and quiet while enjoying a sport and a good conversation with some friends and or family.