Humiliated by all the trash along our roads
I can”t believe it has come to this point that I have to sit down and type a published letter to our community about this.
First off, I have lived in this county for 17 years and have seen quite a bit of progress and growth. I am quite proud of our community and I love the beauty of where we live. But my god, this has got to stop or find a solution to the problem.
I am a courier for our local hospital and spend everyday on the road traveling all over Lake County. One of the perks for me is I get to see all of the beauty of our county. And I see it all. But the trash issue is quite a problem. Not only for us locals, but visitors, travelers and tourists. I have spoke to many tourists, bikers, joggers and vacationers that say the same thing. What a mess!
I was so embarrassed when I had a relative come to visit from out of town (San Jose). I felt I needed to apologize. Why would we expect to see more vacationers and tourists if we live with trash? I”m not sure who is responsible for cleaning it up, but something has got to be done!
Our local police department should fine people for littering and people who aren”t tarping their loads on the way to the dump. I see people all the time toss trash out the window, sometimes with a cop passing right by. What is wrong with you people? Do you like looking at trash when you”re taking a nice drive with your family?
One person can”t do it all. We need to find a solution to this problem. I know every community has this problem but I can truly say this is bad. Take a look.
Our taxes that we pay when we work so hard everyday should be able to do something about this. Who is responsible? Just because we live in the country doesn”t mean we should lower our standards!
Vivian Perren
Clearlake
Editor”s Note: Volunteers can sign up to “adopt” two-mile stretches of state highways or county roads to help in cleaning up trash. To sign up for “Adopt-a-Highway” through Caltrans District 1, please call Nita Brake-Mills, 441-5761. To adopt a county road, please call Lori Price with the Lake County Department of Public Works, 263-2341.
Landmark status applies only to a parcel of land and not to Borax Lake
The Jan. 10, 2007 edition of the Clear Lake Observer*American ran a story titled “Borax Lake on historic registry.” This is not true.? Borax Lake and its surroundings ARE NOT National Historic Landmarks. ?What?DID happen is that the Borax Lake Archaeological Site was listed as a National Historic Landmark.
The archaeological site is a small parcel of land near Borax Lake that is owned by the Archaeological Conservancy. The site was first excavated in 1938? by Mark Harrington?and has since been studied by several other archaeologists. It was listed as a National Historic Landmark because it is one of the best examples of early human habitation in California (Harrington 1948).
My own dissertation research supports the Borax Lake Site”s antiquity by indicating that the first permanent people at?Clear Lake most likely arrived from the Central Valley and settled in the eastern and southern arms of the lake between 12,000 and 14,000 years ago (Parker 1994).
Although many of us would like to?see some protection for the resources around Borax Lake, unfortunately the Lake?is not protected as a National Historic Landmark.
John Parker, Ph.D., RPA
Parker & Assoc. Archaeological Research
