Let's leave places we visit in better condition than we found them.

Dear Fellow Earthlings, Even until the last year of his life Tom McCall (See yesterday's installment.) continued to remind all who would heed his words that natural resources are not inexhaustible and that we can best serve Earth by rejecting the attitude that monetary gain precludes other considerations as we go about our lives. My recent trips with some longtime friends to Multnomah Falls and to Opal Creek here in Oregon underscores to me more than ever before of the need to protect our natural and cultural heritages. As I posed for a picture with my friend Marc Castellazzi in front of Multnomah Falls my thoughts went to the native Americans who had originally named the 189-meter cascade. According to one of their legends the falls represents the sacrifice a young woman made to appease an angry God, believed to be the source of an epidemic that was ravaging the woman's people. After viewing the huge throngs of people visiting Mutnomah Falls as tourists, I feel that with our modern technology it would be preferable to have most people view the falls and savour its beauty from the comfort of their homes. Too many people have trodden the trail up to the top of the falls -- and the resulting impact on the natural environment there is evident. A few days later, my same friends and I hiked up to Jawbone Flats, a former mining encampment shut down by the efforts of environmentalists and now a preserve for towering trees, some of which are a thousand years old. I take pride in having been a member of Friends of Opal Creek, a group that helped ensure that the area would saved from destruction by people whose primary motive had been to make a profit from extracting ores from the area. That's a beer can I am holding. No, I did not drink any beer at Opal Creek. Rather I picked up that empty can from somewhere along the trail. The five cents I later received for turning it in for recycling brought to mind fellow Earthsaver Tom McCall, who ensured that the Bottle Bill was enacted (in 1971) as a means for helping preserve Oregon's natural beauty. Steve Walker Earthsaver and Jingles Creator

Marc Castellazzi and I, photographed standing in front of Multnomah Falls on November 25, 2016.

Ancient trees formed a canopy above our party of 4 when we visited Opal Creek on November 27, 2016.

My facial expression tells it all: Why do people continue to throw trash wherever they like? -- even Opal Creek!

© 2013 Steve Walker, The Jingles-The Japan Foundation for English Pronunciation, Summit Enterprises.