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I love the outdoors. Sleeping Giant State Park and the surrounding woods are a huge part of why I came to Quinnipiac University in the first place. I love fishing, hiking and just taking in the natural beauty of the world. Nature provides me with plenty of ways to get away from all the stress of daily life in order to find some peace and quiet.

That being said, I hate seeing empty bottles float by me on the Mill River while I’m fishing at Sleeping Giant State Park. It’s sad to see empty beer cans along the shoreline at Clark’s Pond on New Road. It takes away from the natural beauty of some of my favorite places, and it’s harmful to the plants and wildlife in the area.

If you are out in the woods or anywhere at all, please pick up after yourselves. It only takes a few seconds and it helps keep the local environment healthy and beautiful.

For myself and others, a lot of the beauty of the forest comes from the idea that it seems to be one of the few places left that remains untouched by humanity. Seeing trash scattered throughout the woods really takes away from the ambiance.

There are plenty of other people like me who appreciate the woods and natural scenery. We would greatly appreciate it if you picked up your trash; it is such a simple task. Do it for people like me, or at least do it for the wildlife.

There have been many cases of serious injury or death to animals after eating or suffocating on trash. According to litterinfo.org, animals can also be caught in plastic and metal waste or cut by cans and broken bottles. On top of that, much of the trash left behind can become a breeding ground for flies and mosquitoes which spread diseases – not just to wildlife, but to people as well.

According to Beth Saff of lovetoknow.com, litter can also contaminate soil and affect plant growth. When plants grow through contaminated soil, the plants themselves can become contaminated which could cause illness to the animals that eat them. If there is enough contamination in the soil, plants may not be able to grow in an area at all.

Please take the 30 seconds out of your day to pick up after yourselves. It really doesn’t take long at all to find a trash can and if you are in an area where you can’t find one, it really is not that inconvenient to just hang onto your trash until you can find a place to throw it away. Throwing trash away is such a simple thing for anyone to do and not doing it can cause so much harm.

For some reason, it seems as though enough people are too careless and too lazy to do something that most of us were trained to do as children and simply throw trash away. It’s a shame that people avoid such a simple task despite the harm that they can cause.