WAYNESVILLE, Warren County — The Ohio Department of Natural Resources is so broke that it’s asking visitors to 30 or so state parks, including Caesar Creek and Cowan Lake, to pack up their trash and haul it out when they leave.
As the state struggles with a multi-billion dollar budget crisis, there’s no money to spare these days in ODNR’s budget for trash pick-up or the convenience of waste cans — at least not in the areas of the parks designated “day-use.”
That means just about anywhere outside the confines of paid campgrounds, where there is still trash pick-up. The thinking is that trash service should be included in the cost patrons shell out in campground rental fees.
This haul-as-you-go policy went into effect Memorial Day at Caesar Creek and Cowan Lake.
So the next time you’re at the parks and seek that familiar place to discard your abundant fast-food waste, you’ll find official signage explaining the new policy.
What you won’t find is a garbage can.
A visit to Caesar Creek on Friday, June 19, indicated that many patrons aren’t getting the message and the litter is piling up.
Brandi Whetstone, conservation program coordinator for the Sierra Club’s Ohio Chapter, said a long-term funding solution for the parks merits a public debate.
“The state needs to place more value on the parks and their benefits to the public,” she said.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-7404 or sbennish@DaytonDailyNews.com.
