Park rangers upping enforcement after campground left trashed

Monterey County parks are a popular spot to visit during the summer months. “There’s a lot to do with all the hikes and trails. It’s really fun,” said visitor, Ronald Burnett.

Monterey County Park Rangers said, recently, visitors destroyed the parks with trash. Monterey County Park Ranger Supervisor, Jon Anthony, said the issue has progressively gotten worse with each summer season. “It makes me feel sad because it could go down the drain and hurt animals,” said visitor, Arianna.

Park rangers captured shocking photos that showed how campers dumped piles of trash near North Shore at Lake San Antonio. “It’s really disheartening. We put a lot of pride in trying to keep our parks clean. We have a fairly small staff right now that works really hard. When I see that we’re going to have to do that kind of work it takes away from other improvement projects,” said Anthony.

Anthony said the litter is seen at every Monterey County Park. He said staff will spend hours every Monday morning cleaning up the grounds.

“People have the audacity to just leave their trash on the floor. Why can’t they just carry it with them?” said visitor, Arturo Flores.

Park rangers have started a zero tolerance maximum enforcement period to deal with the trash. Anyone caught littering will receive a citation. Offenders can even lose their privilege to return to the parks. “They should throw it in the right place. Either the trash can or recycling,” said Arianna.

Park rangers said visitors can do their part by picking up any pieces of trash.