The Prospector Returns

Thursday, February 27, 2014

I work at The Rocks (ODFW property across the Rogue River from Schroeder Park boat landing) on Thursdays now, before I work on my own house and yard with my daughter.  This Thursday, I forgot my new signs for the top of my truck, or I would have parked it on the road near the trash wood pile I was thinking of removing.  Instead, I parked down inside, as I usually do, turning around for an easy exit.  The space is small, and if someone else drives in, getting out can be tricky.

  

There was relatively little litter in the parking area.  Walking out onto the top rocks, it was quickly apparent that our prospector had returned, and had done much of his work where it won’t be washed away by anything but hard rain.  Holes, sand, and clumps of grass are strewn around the area where a couple of kids and their dad like to run their remote control trucks.  

I may have to get busy with shovel, broom, and blowers to restore some natural order to the area that can be healed by rain.  Maybe it will give the fellow a clue that his work is not welcome on that property.

It’s one thing to go digging holes where few people go.  But a place with a well-used parking spot, a place which is obviously well used for fishing, swimming, and playing on big, smooth, pretty rocks, is not the place to be prospecting.  And even in less used places, one must put the dirt back in the holes when one is done, not leave it strewn all over the bedrocks. 

He’d spread his share of litter, too, maybe all of it.  It included a pick-mattock with a broken corner on the mattock, and a piece of its handle, separate.

ODFW could post the place against mining and install some cameras around the parking area.  It would be easy to distinguish the miner.  Such posting would also discourage camping, supplementing the effect of regular litter cleaning.

I stopped at the upstream parking area to pick up that pile of wood trash, but after picking up along the road, it was time to meet my sister, who was visiting from out of town.  I also discovered some pallets at the bottom of the pile as I started to pick up branches from the top.  Too much work and too little time; I’ll try to get it next time.