Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Prospect Park's Litter



[Update, 5/3/11 Clean up on May 10th. Spread the word and come and help!


Litter Mob, May 10th, 2011, 9AM.]

Pretty, isn't it? Not much litter in sight, is there?

Lunch in the park, on a bench on one of the main drags. We were sorry that there are no benches off the main drags. It was cold, and we tried to remember all the picnics we've had together. Many of them have been cold, which is interesting. But that's another post, I think.


Afterwards, I wanted to walk into the woods to see whether there were any brave oyster mushrooms or birds around. I knew we would find the solitary men...


But I did not expect to find the massive amounts of litter. I mean, there's been litter before, there is always litter back here, away from the masses. But this was in frequent, recent clusters that I've not seen before.  Most of it is the paraphernalia of sex, as usual: wrappers, wipes, used condoms; I spared you some of the more gruesome pictures. Then lots of empty hard liquor bottles, lots of plain old 'reglar' litter - plastic, cups...It's not OK.


So one turns a blind eye, and proceeds?


I think not. I'm tired of it.


So I am considering a plan of action. Against the act of littering. Loiterers may stay, if they must. But they may not litter.

I use the park, I love the woods. They are described on the Prospect Park website as 'Brooklyn's only forest.' Because they are.


How to end the littering? For all I know this conversation is as old as the park itself. But I sense that these areas have been deliberately forgotten, neglected, turned from. And it shows.


 As we left, above the Vale of Cashmere, we saw these.


And these.


And those. They were lovely.


And that is the way it should be.


What does the Parks Department think? What does everyone else think? We will find out.

I'll be back. But first I'm going to get help: I am reaching out to local bloggers*. And if you want to help, get in touch.

*Click here for my Open Letter

Previous Prospect Park posts:

The Park via Sackett Street


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