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The Pioneer Day holiday weekend was once again expected to be a busy one at outdoor recreation hot spots around the state, and locals were urging visitors to do their part and properly discard their garbage when they leave.
Increasing litter problems around Pineview Reservoir in Weber County have been well-documented over the past month, with a number of Huntsville locals banding together to conduct their own cleanup.
Friday, beach areas around Middle Inlet were once again filling with visitors and boats.
"It's beautiful," said Robert Dunkley, who brought his family from Mountain Green. "You can swim in the lake, spend some time with the family."
Most recreators KSL spoke to who had visited the reservoir before noted that it looked cleaner compared to previous trips.
However, a closer look at the sandy beaches still uncovered discarded bottles, wrappers, cigarette butts and plastic utensils — and it was only Friday.
"As long as you're a few feet away, you don't notice it," Kerry Loynd explained. "But you start walking and your mind starts to count them up as you see them and [you think] 'what's up with that!'"
Another recreator, Mitch Ward, said a more remote area on the west side of the reservoir where people like to fish was in much worse shape after the previous weekend.
"Monday, we went fishing just off the causeway," Ward recalled. "Pop bottles, broken bottles — it was pretty bad."
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Visitor garbage problem worsens at Pineview Reservoir
People in northern Utah are picking up garbage at Pineview Reservoir that was left behind by visitors over the weekend.A Forest Service official said workers have removed garbage more frequently during the heat of the summer recreation season, clearing bins immediately after the weekend and before the following weekend.
The official noted that the extra hands and attention from the surrounding community had started to make a difference.
"It's nice to see people take pride in their campsite and their beach and keep things clean," Dunkley said. "It's the Boy Scout way. Leave it better than you found it."
Litter problems aren't limited to Pineview Reservoir, the Forest Service official acknowledged. He expressed hope more people — wherever they go — would take ownership of their trash and pack it out with them if bins are too full.
"It just astounds me that people don't take more care," Loynd said. "It seems to me that more people just need to think a little bit and pick up after themselves. Nobody's going to pick up after them at home — why can't they do it here!"
