Do Your Part, Keep Missouri's Fishing Areas Clean

If you have ever fished on any of Missouri public lakes, there is no doubt you have seen the trash and fishing line strewn about the shore lines or floating along the banks and in coves.  Trash along the shoreline will ultimately end up in the water either by wind or rising flood water.  The Missouri Department Of Conservation spends around 1 million dollars per year on litter clean up around Missouri lakes, streams, and rivers.  That may not seem like a lot of money state wide, but think of the other great things this money could be spent on instead of cleaning up trash that could have easily been disposed of properly in the first place.  Lets look at a few things everyone can do to keep litter out of Missouri lakes, streams and rivers. 

• Carry a trash bag in your vehicle on outdoor trips to collect your litter.
• Keep trash in a secure place on boats to prevent it from blowing out. Try using mesh bags.
• Don't leave loose trash in the bed of your truck.
• Pick up and recycle monofilament fishing line.
• Leave the area better than when you arrived
• Get your kids involved and teach them about litter.

 

Doing these few things can have a big impact on litter around Missouri's lakes, rivers and streams.
If you want to make an even bigger impact, take a little time on every trip to pick up trash around the area. 

Do you have any tips on keeping fishing areas clean?

Photos were taken of Blue Springs Lake in Jackson County Missouri.  Four bags of trash were removed at the time the photos were taken, in an area covering only about 150 feet of shoreline.