You’ve heard it before, and we’re saying it again, “pack it in, pack it out!” This Share the Canal principle may feel familiar, but in 2022, the Canal Conservation Corps picked up nearly 9,000 pounds of trash from the Canal – demonstrating not everyone is packing it out. Let’s dive into another trail etiquette tip and explore…
No Trash Bash: Pack it Out!
Leave no trace when your adventure along the Canal – this includes pet waste. People often ask, “Is it okay to bag it up and leave it on the trail to grab on your way back?” No. “The presence of your dog’s waste can alert prey species to the existence of possible predators, putting undue stress on wildlife that live in that area,” says the Wild Land Trust. Also, people sometimes miss the bags on the way back and leave them on the trail, causing the plastic bag and dog waste to impact the trail environment adversely. Even if your memory is a steel trap, another trail user may not see the bag and walk or ride over it, causing a smelly mess before you can get back to the bag. Pick up dog waste immediately and pack it with you to the nearest trash receptacle to be considerate to the environment and fellow trail users.
Another FAQ we get asked is, “Should horse manure be picked up?” Yes! We encourage equestrian riders to pick up after their horses, move it to the side or fit bags on their horses to catch manure. You may come across times when horse manure is not picked up, and although not ideal, this is not as detrimental to the environment as dog poop. Horses are strict herbivores, so their waste is a good fertilizer and is less likely to have bacteria than animals that are omnivores leaning towards carnivores.
Humans also leave a lot of trash behind. Not only was almost 9,000 pounds of trash cleared from the Canal in 2022, but from Jan. 1 – July 31 of 2023, over 11,500 pounds of trash has already been picked up from the Canal! WOW! We need to work on packing things out. The Canal is an important ecological corridor home to various wildlife and plant life. Large pieces of waste are detrimental, but so are cigarette butts and micro trash (micro trash are pieces of trash and plastic smaller than a quarter). Because of their size, microtrash are lightweight and can travel further and more easily along the Canal. Smaller pieces of trash and cigarette butts also tend to get mistaken for food by wildlife.
Trash and pet waste are gross and unsightly. The High Line Canal is a trail for everyone, and no one wants to see waste littering the trail.
Learn more from Leave No Trace.
