What lurks under the cover of snow

As a lifelong skier, the end of the ski season is, for me, both a sad time and one of renewed vigour with the thought of biking, golfing, fishing and other summer sports that lay in the months ahead. No longer do the end of season blues hit me because I can’t ski in my backyard anymore. No, it’s more from what’s been left behind by all those folks that don’t really seem to care about this place in which they live, work and play all winter long.

Yes, that’s right, it’s spring and all that litter that’s been discarded by those that just don’t care, or had no role models in their early lives, is about to come out of hibernation. For years I’ve written about the people behind the problem, but unfortunately that’s seemed to have fallen on deaf ears as each spring is the same. I’m totally disgusted by the amount of litter, empty cans and bottles, cigarette butts and the multitude of full dog poop bags that have been chucked into every corner of this resort community.

Am I missing something, or are young people being taught these days to just fling their trash in the bush or the snow bank and let someone else pick it up? After all, once it’s out of your hands, who really cares anyway, right?

Guess what? I care and so do lots of other Sun Peaks workers and residents. Unfortunately now it’s the job of those that live and work in Sun Peaks year round to go out on our own unpaid time to clean up the bloody huge mess left by others.

Well enough yelling at litter bugs, who’ve probably already left the mountain anyway, and time to move to what we can do as a community about this scourge. While we all understand the litter on our streets or in front of our businesses was not our doing (I hope), the fact is it’s now really our responsibility to it clean up. Those areas are the first impressions our guests or customers get of our homes, our businesses and Sun Peaks as a whole, and frankly these days it’s not much of an impression.

So, as the snow melts please do your part and pick up any litter you see around your home, or anywhere else, and put it where it belongs—in the garbage. If we all chip in just a little as the snow recedes then this community can return to the natural beauty it should enjoy all year. Let’s all be part of the solution and not part of the problem and please mark Wednesday, May 16 on your calendar, as this is when the whole community comes out for the 14th annual Sun Peaks Trash Bash; the day we take back our town.