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NWP Global Registry of Apprentice Ecologists - Bowen Arrow Road, Sandpoint, Idaho, USA

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Bowen Arrow Road, Sandpoint, Idaho, USA
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cmkindred



Registered: December 2008
City/Town/Province: Coeur d'Alene
Posts: 1
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For my personal environmental stewardship project I chose to pick up litter in a place close to my heart; my family’s road. My family lives on a small dirt road called Bowen Arrow in Sandpoint, Idaho. Bowen Arrow runs straight through the forest and is visited constantly by squirrels, turkeys, white tailed deer, and moose. This is a rare place to witness the wonder of native wildlife, and unfortunately it is being tainted. Ignorant and uncaring people are continually throwing garbage out of their cars and into the threes on either side of the road. After seeing the effects of this practice day after day, I decided to do something about it. I rounded up my four younger siblings, grabbed a wagon and several garbage bags, and headed out to pick up the trash polluting Bowen Arrow Road.
Beer bottles, Styrofoam coffee cups, soda cans, and buckets: these were all items I found lining the road every few feet. I was amazed at how much garbage had actually built up over the months I had lived there. The more time I spent picking up garbage with my brothers and sisters, the more disgusted I became at how people could treat the environment in such a way. Instead of waiting a matter of minutes to return home and properly dispose of their trash, residents of the area were just tossing it out the window without a thought of how it would damage and harm the ecosystem. I didn’t understand how someone could live in an area as beautiful and serene as North Idaho and not want to keep it natural and healthy, both for fellow humans and also the wildlife that inhabits Sandpoint. It made me feel downtrodden that Mother Nature is being seen as a dump rather than an entity of mystery and marvel.
Although I was upset at the condition of the roadside habitat, I felt proud that I was able to spend time with my family helping to heal a place I call home. My youngest brother is four, and seeing how excited he was at being able to participate in our clean up filled me with joy. I would point out beer bottles and cans for him to collect and he would put into the black garbage bags. By the end of our outing he was covered in mud and exhausted, but he had a smile on his face. I hope by exposing him to the negative aspects of littering at a young age he grows up to frown upon the harmful habit and continues to do his part to clean up the environment. Knowing that I play a part in ensuring the future of nature is a blessing.
After two hours of picking up garbage, Bowen Arrow Road was restored back to its pristine state of being. Even though we removed the litter that was polluting the area and causing potential harm to wildlife, I know it is only a matter of time before it falls back into the same condition of being full of man’s trash. I am not sure if there is any way to stop people from littering. I would suggest imposing stricter punishments for those who get caught in the act, but many people can litter and not get caught by authority personnel. I feel that the issue is more of a moral nature than legal. If people felt that polluting was wrong and dangerous to the health of the ecosystem, I believe that they would cease the habit. Until the ideals of the nation’s citizens can be altered, littering will be a tragic and common occurrence across the country.
I feel that it is important to maintain the health of the woods surrounding Bowen Arrow Road because it is a place where abundant wildlife species live, as well as my family. I do not want my younger siblings to grow up on a street that has garbage choking out plant growth and making the area unsuitable for animals to live. I have seen more moose in the pines along Bowen Arrow than I have any other place in Idaho. I want my brothers and sisters to be able to witness the same sights I have seen, moose knee-deep in snow on the hillside and turkeys pecking for food on the shoulder of the road. I want this part of Idaho to remain an area where wildlife can live without too much negative influence by mankind.
After completing my environmental stewardship project, I feel that the Apprentice Ecologist Initiative is a very important program. It helped influence me to take action to repair the damage to the environment that other careless people had caused. It also helped me to include my family in my project and hopefully motivate them to continue along the path of environmental awareness. If more teens get out into the wilderness around their homes and work to keep it safe, I believe that Mother Nature has a chance at a long and healthy life.
· Date: December 23, 2008 · Views: 6440 · File size: 36.2kb, 416.8kb · : 1500 x 1125 ·
Hours Volunteered: 5
Volunteers: 5
Authors Age & Age Range of Volunteers: 4 to 18
Trash Removed/Recycled from Environment (kg): 30.15
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