Don't treat your fishery like a toilet

It seems like a natural thing to simply step out of the boat and take a wizz on the shoreline. No big deal, right? Bears do it rabbits do it. A guy has to go, a guy has to go. What is the harm? 99% of the time I wouldn’t make a hassle out of this but holy cow. Dude? The ranger shack is about 600 yards from where you are pissing. It looks like you are using the fishery as a toilet and that is poor form…especially here.

This island (in one of Denver’s most frequented reservoirs) is off limits and bird watchers go a little ape$hit when they see someone urinating on what they consider a protected nesting area. If enough people did this and enough people complained the lake would be shut down. Trespassing signs would be put back up just like it was back in 1982.

Fishing here is a privilege that the city views more as a liability than anything else. When boating opened in 1988 folks were cautioned that all of this was done at the discretion of the city. A few bad instances could ultimately cost everyone this privilege. Some murmured that it would only be a matter of time.

These are the moments that make me question my efforts on elaborate dreams such as optimum fishing management in Colorado. Roving slot limits, putting big fish back, people following the rules seems so impossible if others are just going to piss all over it…literally. Maybe I need to scale things back a little and cover a few basics. Maybe I could suggest that we all (including me) start making more of an effort to do the following:

1.       Minimize our effect on the environment when outdoors. Maybe that is something as small as keeping the noise level moderate to something a little bigger like burning the entire forest down somehow. 
 

2.       Be kind and courteous to not only others but the wilderness around us. A good example here is that one group of campers that expects everyone else to endure their obnoxious behavior while they cut half the trees down in the camping area with a chainsaw. And that was their first day camping on the Poudre.  
 

3.       Give wild animals the room to be wild and understand that we are in their home. This pretty much means that no one will tell that bear to stop eating you in the middle of the night if it really wants.  
 

4.       Be more cautious while experiencing the outdoors.  “Last guy broke a leg on this run and died. But we’ll get you out of here in one piece buddy. I have a good feeling about this one.” 
 

5.       Don’t be an Ahole, why you gotta be an Ahole? Everyone is looking at you right now going, “Why is that guy being an Ahole?” 
 

Actions of one can adversely affect the privilege of others.
 

My name is Matt and I would have picked a better place to pee.