As the snow melts and the ice begins to break up, another deluge of garbage will be swept into our waterways. Beyond being an eyesore, garbage also threatens the lives of many species of wild and domestic animals. Join in the fight to take back our water.

Have we lost respect for Mother Earth? It seems every year that goes by, there is less cleanup and only more garbage in and along the water. We must ask ourselves, who is responsible for the cleanup effort? Is it the state conservation department, or the people’s responsibility? What would it take to clean up such a mess, and how could our community afford such a large scale program? Also, what would be the benefit and result of a cleanup program and how could that positively affect our community?

I have been mulling over this problem for several years and believe there are answers to all the aforementioned questions. It starts off with all of us taking responsibility for our actions. As humans, we create non-biodegradable refuse, and all of us use such products. Even if we attempt to never litter, some of our garbage will end up where we would rather not have it. For this reason, we should all take responsibility and make an effort to clean up what might not be your mess. It’s kind of like doing the dishes for someone else after dinner. If we all take turns, there will always be clean dishes. If we all take turns cleaning up roadside garbage, river, lake, and stream debris, we would all have a much cleaner environment to enjoy.

In my research, I found that the state is only responsible for the maintenance of the waterway. This basically means they have to remove all dangerous snags and obstacles from the river granting boaters safe passage. If such a crew exists on the Chenango, I have yet to see them. Being a boating and fishing enthusiast, this affects me, but I’m also hit on another level. As a licensed state fishing guide, I find our river to be too dirty and dangerous to operate my service. This is not only my problem, but that of our community. If I am unable to operate my guide service from the Chenango, then I and the community suffer financially. All of my clients would be staying in local hotels and would be eating and shopping locally. Because our river is dangerous and cluttered, we all lose. I propose we work along with the state to get the job done.

In our case, it would take a huge cleanup party and lots of funding to put a dent in the river clutter. The only way to financially back such a program is to take the fun out of funding, and implement it. Rather than make a big deal raising money to pay for the program, make it fun, and charge to join in on the festivities and prizes.

Upon this realization, I set out to design a program based on this concept. It took me over a year to get all the planning and documentation done, but I finally finished it.

I wrote a column about a year ago called “Thanks for judging me, I needed it.” I talked about my past and that Judge Howard Sullivan had been a catalyst in changing my life. I asked him to review the program and critique it. After reviewing it, he said he liked the idea and would help in any way that he could. He also added there was a lot missing pertaining to permits and licensing. I’m now in the stage where I am seeking approval for the program and rallying for support. If this goes through, there will be little that could stop it – other than high water.