Lately there's been increased lip-service given to taking steps to clean up the overabundant and illegal junk and litter that is scattered about the county. As the current chairman of the Chenango County Environmental Management Council (CCEMC), I'm all for it. The question is, will it actually happen? We've been down this rusty, cluttered road before, several times in fact, and a tour around the area reveals little has changed. In fact, it seems to be getting worse as our local economy struggles to keep pace with competing areas, both in-state and beyond.

Thanks to the lush early-summer foliage, a substantial amount of the clutter is now hidden from view, at least from the roads. But come fall and winter, it will reappear like the ghost of junkyards past. Visitors driving into our county will then get a clear view, regardless of which route they travel, be it NYS Routes 12, 23, 206, 320 or just about any other route in our area. I've heard some remark that this is "such a beautiful area, if it weren't for its junky appearance." What a wonderful slogan that would make to promote more tourism and attract potential new residency and business interests.

I'm no purist and I realize that one man's junk may be another's treasure, but must they exhibit it so prominently? Even operating farms that keep unusable equipment for spare parts, in case usable ones need servicing, can't field an excuse when none of the rusting equipment matches anything they are now using. And then there's the junk cars, old appliances, wheel rims and tires, etc., etc. that decorate some residential and even some business properties. What exactly are their purpose and usefulness? Prominent time non-capsules to be viewed in the year 2107?

In some cases, offending "junkers" will claim simple economics as the reason for the ongoing buildup on their property. "We can't afford the cost the landfill charges." Well, unless I require a new used vehicle, washing machine, clothes dryer, tires or whatever several times a year, the cost of properly disposing of the old ones is spread over several years. But if I wait, say, a couple decades or more to dispose of the old ones, naturally my junk inventory is greatly inflated, as would be the cost to get rid of all of it at once. Why wouldn't it be just as reasonable to consider it then as being amortized, with annual cost resulting from dividing all those collecting years at absolutely no cost into what the total is now? Plus, salvage prices on metal have been soaring lately, which is an added incentive for the larger junk equipment owners to dispose of it and actually make a profit.

The real tragedy of all this is the scars it inflicts on what could otherwise be an attractive outdoor environment. The instinctive view usually draws the viewer's attention, not to any natural beauty of landscape, but to the cluttered junk and litter. It's like a large wart on an otherwise beautiful woman's face – we tend to be drawn to it and not the rest of her face.

Another negative about our overabundant junk has to do with its very real effect on our environment. With discarded motorized equipment that wasn't thoroughly prepped before being "stored," oil, brake fluid and antifreeze eventually leak and seep into the ground and aquifer. Junk is also a great, albeit unnatural, habitat attractor for various vermin and pests such as rats, mice, skunks, feral cats and such. Cottontail rabbits are also often attracted to overgrown junkyards, along with the rodents, which attract predators such as fox and coyote. Not exactly most people's idea of "wildlife habitat," and certainly not an attractive one.

Many towns and counties have codes and laws that prohibit the presence or buildup of discarded junk and litter. The state does also, via the Dept. of Environmental Conservation. Zoning laws (the locally "frightful" Z word) in many areas of the state are also structured so neighbors aren't subjected to having to put up with a junk-filled or littered property next door, which would devalue the surrounding properties, say nothing of contaminating the view. Several years ago, the CCEMC members drew up a list of the most prevalent and damaging issues facing our county. In order of members' preference, they were:

* Junk,