Gov. Knowles should toss out this bill and make the Legislature consider more measured changes next year. Several letter-writers recently have decried the messes left by some hooligan fishermen at the Twentymile River south of Anchorage. This is the same sort of blight that mars Bird Creek when the silvers ride in on the tide, that fouls the city fishery of Ship Creek in Anchorage, or that shocks visitors to Alaska who can't understand why people trash roadsides and trails in God's country. Garbage strewn anywhere is an ugly sight. But it's particularly galling in places of beauty, places where Alaskans and visitors are invited to partake of the land's bounty.
Trash here is a profound insult.
Those responsible don't deserve fish for the table. In Anchorage, we've recently finished Cleanup Week and a Saturday devoted to clearing our creeks. That same spirit should rule when we take to our neighborhood fisheries. We don't need to add to the pile by treating the ground at our feet as a dump. Memorial Day weekend is this weekend, the traditional start of summer and the caravans south to the Kenai Peninsula.