Transient Camping

[Heather]

Paul previously posted:

[Chris]

"Around 50 volunteers pitch in to help with these clean up, where they gathered trash ranging from televisions to tires"

This isn't the transient's mess, it's locals too lazy to dispose of their crap properly.

[Jim]

I see a lot of the trash riddled with holes (assume bullets, assume shooters leaving trash behind). SMH

[Getaklu]

Park county started some new camping restrictions last year, for private land as well. The intent is to keep the "green rushers" from buying a cheap piece of land and trashing it. Many are doing it, no septic, no well, and makeshift wood burners put in trailers. This is a statewide epidemic if that word isn't too strong.

[Java]

"It’s people who purposely go to remote parts of the desert and dump things because they are too lazy to drive to the county landfill or too cheap to pay for properly disposing of it... Much of the trash picked up in the desert near 34 and C roads on Sunday were electronic items and automobile tires, items that require money for disposal... Bates estimates they picked up about 12 tons worth. He said it’s clear from the type of trash that is found that it is not the Jeep drivers, ATV riders, motorcyclists or gun shooters who are dumping it."

http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/articles/other-peoples-trash-no-treasure-when-theyre-litter

[Danimal]

I would never condone dumping like this, but when I went to the dump last week it was nearly $80 for a level truck bed. No hazmat, nothing dangerous, just scrap wood and random junk that was not recyclable. When you charge that much, it is just going to encourage this type of behavior. I think that would be a good place to start to fix the problems. Having more free dump and community clean up days would prevent the trash from getting out there in the first place.

One of my major concerns for Left Hand shooting area was that people were being very unsafe and I never saw LE of any kind while I was up there. Shooters would regularly bring trash and shoot it all to hell and leave it. When the trash was all shot up, they would start shooting trees. That breaks so many Colorado laws, it happened every single time I was there, and I never once saw any law enforcement out there writing tickets.

It is a combination of the negative reinforcement of charging so much to dump trash, and having almost zero accountability or consequences for breaking the law.

[Java]

I agree, I had to dump the remains of my front porch when I bought my house and it cost almost as much as the new materials to rebuild it. I think they would be better served in Grand Junction to lower or remove dump fees and raise fines for illegal dumping at the same time. Maybe statewide.

[Danimal]

Paul previously posted:

[Danimal]

Here is the summary of the Colorado statute:

Colo. Rev. Stat. §18-4-511

Class 2 petty offense. First conviction: fine between $20 and $500. Second conviction: fine between $50 and $1,000. Subsequent convictions: fine between $100 and $1,000.

Some states start at a misdemeanor and have jail time for intentional repeat offenders. A $50 fine is not going to deter anyone that knows that it is $80 to go to the dump...

[Bob]

Danimal previously posted:

[Max]