Havre Daily News - News you can use

Editor:

Fresno Reservoir is a popular recreation site with an increasing problem — litter and vandalism. Evidently, a few people are intent on ruining this area for the rest of us. Recently one of the newer picnic tables (built by the Boy Scouts with materials donated by a local businessman) was cut up and used as firewood.

The beach is regularly littered with beer cans, glass and other garbage. Baby diapers are left on the ground. People throw trash from their vehicles. Others continue to use pallets for firewood, leaving a dangerous pile of nails in the ashes. Trash litters a well-used party site on the south side of the lake with glass and cans on the shoreline and in the water. All of this is not just a hazard, but is ruining one of our best recreation sites.

The Fresno Chapter of Walleyes Unlimited built the pavilion, parking lot and campground above the main beach. This area and some of the roads leading to and around the lake are on private land.

The Bureau of Reclamation (the local office is in Chester) manages the reservoir and the dam. Since Fresno was designated as "irrigation only" when it was built, Reclamation has very little, if any, money to spend on recreation. The Fresno Chapter has tried to pick up the slack by providing lighting, garbage pick up, boat ramps, a courtesy dock, mowing and hiring a caretaker to oversee the area and pick up trash. A few people work hard to keep this area usable and safe for the rest of us.

It is time for the rest of us to help. The "rest of us" (and I assume the majority of us) don't want to live and recreate with other people's garbage and diapers. We don't want our children stepping on nails and glass. We can no longer tolerate littering and vandalism. Report any suspicious/illegal activities. Please pick up your own trash and keep an eye out for those who don't. Together, hopefully, we can make a difference.

Carolyn Anderson

Havre