Environmental group leaves mess of trash in national parks

They complain about others using resources, but don't follow their own ideology.

For example, my family annually fishes in Chitina, Alaska, at a personal-use harvest fishery. Big river, dip net, hard work, fill the freezer with salmon. Only Alaskan residents can do this!

One year, there were a group of college-age (maybe slightly older) at the local store complaining about the personal-use harvest depleting fish stocks and keeping salmon from hungry Natives upstream (I won't go into these issues; the resource is well-managed). We ignored them, despite the comments that "white Alaskans are RUINING Alaska), but later, in seeking just the right spot for putting our nets in the water, we spotted their car (out of state license plate stood out like sore thumb). They were packing up. When I got down the trail I found piles of trash. It was all biodegradable, but in Alaska's climate that's a misnomer. Nothing rots for a LONG time. I bagged it up (we always pack out our trash) and took it up top where the group was having a last snack before heading off to trash another pristine bit of wilderness, so I turned the bag up on the hood of their car and let them know some truths about Alaska. I had a pretty good head of steam, so didn't give them the opportunity to speak until I was finished, but when I finally did, one of them, with a smarmy smile, said "But it's all biodegradable." Perfect example of people who just don't get it! Alaskans who are "ruining" Alaska do, but the environmentalists are so certain they're the only ones who care about the environment. Nobody else could possibly have a better idea.

Thanks for the story, Aurora. I've been to Alaska once before and found it to be a very fascinating place. I only lecture others politically in self-defense these days, but in those times I make sure my points are clearly articulated.

I have a similar story. Growing up, I was raised a vegetarian. I tried eating meat for a brief period but just found it disgusting. I've gotten crap for this from people of all sides of the political spectrum so I don't want to paint everyone with a broad brush here, but one of the rudest comments I ever received about my own personal lifestyles came from the most liberal person I ever met. He was a college professor (of course) who recreationally fished and re-sold the fish. There was a day at the end of the quarter when he brought in fish and others brought in other foods. Somehow my being a vegetarian came up and he said, "If you don't eat meat, what do you eat? Do you scrape fungus off the ground?" It was unbelievable. I just replied, "This isn't the environment where I expected to hear something like that."