New River Field Guide

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Ah, what a beautiful spring in the New River Valley ... so why am I grumbling?

Because some people just seem to be bound and determined to befoul this place. From litterbugs to developers, they're out to get us. Here are a few of the worst offenders.

Believe it or not, they have started dumping trash at the Frog Pond again. Big trash. Busted concrete pipes this time around. They went almost a whole year without making a new pile -- and I had thought about writing a congratulatory column about it. But the rubble has returned, and, frankly, I'm starting to wonder whether the old junk ever got cleared away or whether it was just used as fill material. If that's the case, then this place may really be an unlicensed, unregulated landfill. And what better place for a landfill than an otherwise wonderful park?

I recently wrote about the Shenandoah Bike Trail in Blacksburg. As I said, it was quite nice the two times I took a walk there. But when I went back on my bike, I was able to cover more distance and I soon found the flip side. A big chunk of the bike loop has just been trashed. I'm talking about broken glass and weird trash. How did part of a faucet get littered beside a bike trail? It looks as if college students are just throwing stuff off their decks toward the trail. The more motivated students do things such as hoisting a trash bin up and over a tall chain-link fence.

In the wilds of Montgomery County -- I hesitate to say exactly where -- there is evidence that littering has evolved into a sport. If you want to dump tires, you can find many isolated places to just stack them beside the road. But if you're a pro-level litterbug, there's a spot here where old tires can be pushed over a guard rail and may roll a long way down into a hollow used as farm land. I counted about 80 tires and a few major appliances.

And lastly, in the you've-got-to-be-kidding-me department, can it be true that the developers of First & Main have just built a gigantic building with its backside aimed squarely at Main Street? Are we really doomed to look at this building's butt for the rest of our lives?

Bottom line: Things are starting to get ugly, folks.