To Whom It May Concern:

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Litter in our park is a concern; it can cause harm to our environment and wreak havoc on our wildlife. Everyone can agree that littering is a problem and I’m sure we all look down our noses at the thought of throwing trash around carelessly, but we just don’t see the true problem. Sure, we talk about environment safety, but we see our problem as if looking through the wrong end of a telescope; seeing it far away instead of right under our feet.

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So here’s what litter is doing at our park; the water in general is not polluted. It is in fact so clear that what looks like murky, icky, polluted water is actually the bed and bottom of the creek. Most trash found in our park will float on the water for a short period of time before it sinks to the bottom where it begins to decay, causing a safety hazard for animals and people alike. But how is the trash getting there? People aren’t just walking to the banks of the creek and throwing in their trash with malicious intent, so litter is being brought there by heavy winds and storms from different areas. But most of the trash, for example, water bottles, plastic bags, aluminum cans, food wrappers, and fast food drink cups to name a few, are being brought into the park by people.  The lack of trash bins and recycling cans not just in the picnic area but on the trails is alarming. A total of three trash cans are placed inconveniently on the ends of the trails and less than ten trash cans are in the playground and picnic areas. The trash cans that are there are not outfitted to take the park’s wildlife into consideration. With no kind of lid, trash cans are easy access for a hungry squirrel or raccoon that doesn’t care where the wrapper goes after they’ve consumed their tasty treat.

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Litter in the creek and park is a problem, but a problem we can fix now. Given the time and direction, volunteers can clean up the random bits of trash in the park and creek. Given the resources like more trash bins, the common public can keep the park clean and stop further littering. For example, having trash cans with a shoot or lid will keep animals out and stop trash from blowing away; having volunteers clean after heavy rain storms will also prevent trash build up in the creek and provide a safer environment for our park wildlife. We can save our park; we can keep it a friendly place to play and hang out. With some effort and care, we can make sure Central Park is safe for all members of its community, furry or otherwise. Thank you for your consideration and time.

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Sincerely,

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Edna Ajakaiye                Jason Bradley      Devon Buchanan

Hernan Cardona              Autumn Collins     Kenidy Howard

Kahlisa Jackson                Christian Madison     Jarren McCoy

Keyira Mclaurin                Neil Middleton      R. Brian Long

Jamie Parchesky