Is it a few bad apples ruining it for everyone? Or is it a larger problem of a lack of respect by many for other people’s homes and property, and the public spaces we all share?
This week we have a story about a swimming hole dubbed “Paradise” by longterm residents, and the fact that the owners of the land people cross to get to it are fencing their property off, thus cutting off the trail to the water.
The owners are perfectly within their rights to do so, and for many years those who’ve used the trail acknowledge there’s been a “no trespassing” sign up to try to keep people off the private land.
We can’t blame the owners for taking action to secure their property. They’ve been terribly abused by some of the people who have used the trail to the beach. The problems are garbage (picture everything from food wrappers to beer and pop cans, cigarette butts, and dirty diapers) and now needles and people even squatting there. And of course there’s the issue of liability for the property owner should something untoward happen.
Likely nobody wants strangers tromping through their back yard, let alone strangers who seem to figure they can use your yard as a garbage dump.
This same thing happens in many communities where waterfront access is an issue. Often longtime property owners have allowed access (mostly to locals who know where the trailheads are) through their properties, as a courtesy, but are at some point forced to cut off that access because idiots are disrespectful of the privilege.
It’s sad to see places where we’ve used the beach since we were kids, and sometimes even our parents and grandparents before us, closed off. It’s a community loss.
Unfortunately it seems likely that it’s not just a few people who are abusing their welcome. The scope of the problem seems to indicate a wider issue that boils down to respect.
When you choose to drop your trash because it’s just too inconvenient (let’s face it, you’re not so feeble that your potato chip bag is too heavy) for you to carry it back to your vehicle and properly dispose of it at home or in a public receptacle, you are not only disrespecting a private land owner, you’re disrespecting our collective environment as a whole.
And we all pay. In this case through ever-restricted access.