In Sociology 101, the “Broken Windows Philosophy” is taught to illustrate that people will treat property with the same respect as others. Just imagine the disgust a family would have pulling up at Whale Point to see this, as I did this afternoon at 1:15 pm.
CalTrans is responsible for maintaining this location, but they only pick up twice a week and totally missed last Friday. This is the result.
There needs to be accountability. This is completely shameful. And it is the THIRD TIME this summer I have personally witnessed a mess like this at Whale Point.
In the midst of all our crabbing about traffic and tourons looking in the mirror as I write), we need to take a look at the way we treat our own community. In this case, folks wanted to do the right thing with their trash, and this is what we offered them.
Michael Minasian
Big Sur, California 93920
Editor’s Comment: Keep Big Sur Wild, sometimes in conjunction with Community Association of Big Sur, hold Highway One clean up days. They have picked up a huge amount of trash off the shoulders and pull outs of Highway One! Please contact one or the other to volunteer. https://www.keepbigsurwild.org/ And https://www.cabigsur.org/
How ironic that a location, at least in part, designed to highlight and honor local wildlife is also creating a hazard for the same.
I know we’ll address this, and I know it is not who we are. The impression it made on me was just ruthlessly depressing. Don’t mean to hang Caltrans out for this; they rock in my book. I also know that many of us are fighting the trash fight, as KeepBigSurWild does.
This week I have to drive down to Santa Monica. I intend to take a kind of photo essay of what I see when I come back up on the Cabrillo Highway and witness the extensive efforts and resources that are being deployed to address trash and litter. There is a real disconnect between the operations and maintenance practiced by both Caltrans and State Parks on the southern portion compared to ours.
-Michael
Gosh, looks like Tahoe! For 30+ years we’ve been educating the public, property owners, businesses and public agencies about the need to have adequate lockable dumpsters. What I’ve learned in those 30+ years is that we’ve gone from the Age of Enlightenment to the Age of Entitlement. People (and agencies) are getting dumber and sadly, in Tahoe and now maybe here, bears and raccoons are getting smarter – and losing their lives because of it. God forbid these people would see a full trash container and think to take their trash with them to dispose of it somewhere else safely!