That's what a co-worker just said in response to my description of part of my weekend trip to Lake Moomaw.
He was being sarcastic.
OK. Moomaw is paradise in many ways. A good-sized reservoir north of Covington, it is surrounded by steep hills and mountains. Because the surrounding land is owned by the U.S. Forest Service and the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, there is no shoreline development, save for a couple of public campgrounds, boat ramps and recreation areas.
It is beautiful. The water is clean. Not alpine lake clean, but cleaner than Virginia's other big reservoirs. The fishing can be great, too.
But take a look at the beach at Coles Point and you see something less appealing.
I'm not talking about the pack of teen-aged, overweight, bikini-clad, tatoo-adorned, baby-totin', cigarette-smokin' moms hanging out there Sunday.
I'm talking about goose crap, and lots of it.
The geese love the beach. It doesn't help that some visitors think the geese are pretty -- and they are -- and enjoy feeding them.
After that food goes into the goose, it comes out of the goose. Quickly. And right onto the beach.
A sign at the beach entrance says Forest Service personnel will scoop poop whenever possible. As if they don't have enough other stuff to worry about.
I plan to do my part, too. On or shortly after Sept. 1, I think I'll head back to Moomaw with my goose droppings reduction system -- a Browning Gold Hunter 12 gauge.
Sept. 1 is the opening day of Virginia's early goose season. You can't hunt at the beach, of course. But you can hunt nearby. And I plan to.
No comments yet