Although I’ve lived in five different states, only two have made a big enough impression for me to consider them home.
Growing up in Colorado, I was surrounded by towering peaks, rocky canyons and magnificent wildlife. I grew up wandering around Roosevelt National Forest, giving my mother a heart attack every time I disappeared over the ridge separating the gravel parking area from the 40,000 acres of wilderness armed with only a 22-rifle and a few roman candles to use as emergency signals.
Mississippi also boasts a large swath of natural areas for outdoorsmen – of which I do not count myself as one. Seriously, I’ve gotten lost in my backyard before. Mom had good reason to worry. From hunting and fishing to hiking and photography, Mississippi is a beautiful place, and although I do prefer the animals capable of killing me to be 400-pound furry behemoths instead of thimble-size arachnids, I enjoy wandering around our state’s wilderness areas just as much, if not more so than stomping around in a Colorado National Forest.
National Parks and forests, wildlife preserves, nature trails and protected lands are a vital aspect of the culture we pass on to future generations. As such, we need to protect them, making sure they are still available for Mississippians for years to come.
However, we aren’t doing a great job. Pick a road in this state, and you will find empty beer cans, fast food wrappers and other debris in its ditches. Pick a stream or creek, and you will find plastic bags and Styrofoam containers trapped in the grass growing along its bank.
Litter in Mississippi is an epidemic of unsightly, ecologically disastrous behavior that takes away from our state’s natural beauty, clogs up our water ways and harms the wildlife that make this part of the world such a gorgeous place to live.
Sure, there’s laws against littering, and violators can be ticketed. However, prosecuting such crimes to the point where it would make a difference would require an improbable amount of man hours put in by law enforcement and state investigators. It’s not feasible.
Instead of relying on the judicial system to solve our problem, we need to change the way we dispose of trash, ensuring it goes, and stays, in the proper receptacles. Mississippi has a stunning beauty that is worth protecting. Let’s make sure it stays that way.
Thomas is the managing editor of the Newton County Appeal. He can be reached at thoward@newtoncountyappeal.com
