A word on whales

I am saddened to hear about the loss of a trainer's life at Sea World.  I'm sure this lady loved animals very much.

However, I am also just as saddened about the state in which we treat animals such as the orca whales.  Orcas swim freely thousands of miles between hemispheres, and humans think it is okay to capture them and keep them in a bathtub of sorts where people can come gawk at them as they jump in the air for a fish. Whales are social and have families and swim in pods.  Whales live long life spans in the wild, but only a few years in captivity.  Who are we to take that away from them and expect them to cooperate with and entertain humans???  It just is not right.

I can understand if a whale is injured and humans are rehabilitating the whale in hopes and plans of releasing the whale back into the ocean.  But to keep and breed whales in captivity should not be allowed.  Also, we can not learn much about the natural behaviors of whales who are in captivity because this is not their natural state.  We must study them in the wild to understand their natural habits.

May humans evolve enough consciously to stop this type of treatment of animals.

yesterday (Thursday)--28 pieces of trash.  half of that came from a styrofoam egg carton behind carlton place that had already started to break down into even smaller pieces.

Wednesday--Between 10-15 pieces of trash which included 4 beer bottles behind Carlton Place---these were just tossed out there b/c I had recently cleaned that area a few days ago.  There is a large piece of construction plastic that I have not yet collected b/c when I tried, there was a lizard on it.  I'm not afraid of lizards, but I'm worried there may also be spiders embedded there---I'll save that for my husband :-)

I did run into "a friend of the woods" who also walks her dog.  She said, "Oh you are the one who cleans this place up".  She walked with me and helped collect some trash.  It was nice to have the help.

Monday--74 pieces of trash---mostly from behind Carlton Place apartments.  Hopefully, that will soon be all cleaned up.  I can't wait to walk back there and come out empty handed!  Sometimes I find the most random things like a hallogen light bulb???

Hubby and I both walked the dog today.  I took a large trash bag and we headed to Carlton Place apartments.  We picked up 154 pieces of trash in no time flat.  Lots of the trash seems to be construction debris which includes a lot of plastic wrapping and ties.  However, there are so many packing peanuts that I pick up a few each time I walk---not sure where those are coming from, but I hope they are the biodegradable ones.

We did collect 8 beer bottles.  Sadly, there is still more trash, but the bag was full....

Another bag of trash in UNCW woods behind Carlton Place.  I returned here today b/c I know there is a lot of trash there.  I really need to go with a big bag or a wheelbarrow one day as there is no way to get it all with one small bag.

Anyway, I was a little nervous today b/c the weather was warmer and I was reminded of the giant spider that creeped me out the other day.  I'm definitely more cautious when I am picking up litter that has been pasted to the ground by the weather--you never know what is underneath there!  It makes me want to get as much garbage picked up as possible before Spring gets here.

There are lots of plastic bags blowing around out there, many are stuck in trees and I can't get them.  Others have already started shredding apart.  I gathered some large styrofoam packaging pieces today.  One piece was almost buried and had roots growing through it!  Wonder what that does to the natural order of things?

Not sure how many pieces of trash I picked up today on my dog-walk as I was in such a hurry I forgot to count. However, it filled up a bag and the bag started to burst. All of this behind Carlton Place apts. and there is lots more to get. I'm not sure if the wind is blowing their trash out of the garbage or if someone is just dumping. Either way, it is a mess in the woods and something needs to be done about it. I collected 3 plastic beverage bottles, one was a very large Welch's grape juice bottle, a coffee cup, a 5 subject composition book, one glass beer bottle---all of which I was able to recyle. I also collected several plastic bags, some of which had already started breaking down into shreds which makes it impossible to get it all.

I wish I had enough money that I did not have to work for a living (don't we all??) and I could spend more time helping the Earth. I have so many ideas and so many people I want to approach, but I am just short on time. However, if we all pitch in, the need will be less and the Earth will be cleaner! Thanks to all those who help!

57 pieces of trash in UNCW woods--mostly plastic. Lots more to get, but my bag was full, so I left it. I feel like a criminal when I do that, but really, when you only have one bag and you also need to manage a dog, there is only so much you can do. Most of the trash today came from behind Carlton Place apartments. Seems as though trash may blow to the edge of the woods from the apartments. There is a busted printer out there that someone has obviously just dumped.

When I got home, I was separating the recyclables, 3 plastic bottles, one plastic milk jug, several beer cans. Anyway, a large spider was also in the mix!!!! I try to be nice, but somehow curse words spontaneously erupt when that happens!

Yesterday, my husband and I picked up 3 pieces of trash in front of our church located in downtown Wilmington and we also gathered 7 pieces of trash in UNCW woods.

I'm trying to walk down paths in the woods that I don't usually go before the weather warms and snakes start to move about. The good news is that the paths that get walked frequently are looking cleaner.

The most frustrating things I have seen in the past week are two doggy poop bags that have been used to clean the poop, and they are even tied shut, but they have been left in the woods!!! Maybe they are biodegradeable bags???--somehow I doubt it, but maybe.... Anyway, I saw one today, but I had no more room in my bag, so I left it. I picked up the other one a few days ago.

I just finished walking the dog in UNCW woods. Picked up a bag of trash, but counted the pieces as I went. My goal was to pick up 7 pieces today as I know I have skipped some days in the past two weeks. Anyway, what an easy goal! I picked up 101 pieces. There was more to get, but I did not have the time today or the arms to carry it.

A lot of construction debris at old construction/road sites, several pieces of styrofoam packing popcorn, 3 beer bottles and other junk, mostly plastic.

On Monday, I also picked up a bag of trash on campus. several beer cans, one beer bottle and other plastic stuff. One plastic food container, like a yogurt cup, had teeth marks from an animal. That means the animal ingested plastic--probably not a good scenario.....