Place a "Paint and Hide Rock" – Then Collect Trail Trash or Litter (Make the Trade)
Found this video and thought it related to our gathering up trash effort. Perhaps somewhere down the line it can go to this level? I was amazed.
Our plastic waste can be turned into homes that cost just $280.
Posted by ATTN: on Monday, December 25, 2017
On Blazing Rocks first outing. In one of our beautiful National Parks. We had a goal of collecting trash in mind. We soon realized you might want some “tools” to make achieving such a goal, less unpleasant. We realized within a very small radius it is easy to fill a 33 gallon garbage bag.
Note: www.BlazingRocks.com is an organized “Paint and Hide” hide group. More info can be found going to Home Page or using the Menu Buttons.
How things like dirty diapers can be so callously discarded, at the edge of a parking area, is beyond my thinking. Soiled TP…..yes poop-y paper stuck in the bushes, or half covered with dirt or a rock. The most abundant item found is plastic water bottles….and they seemed endless. This trail trash collecting is a nasty, thankless, but self rewarding, business.
Many trash items collected might take mother nature hundreds of years to break down. In our lifetime it is simply piling up!
We can only hope others are willing to accept the challenge and the pledge. Most people will never know what you did. It will be rare someone will take the time to notice. Even less likely they will take the time to say “Thank You”!
I am hoping in the near future a large organized Rock Group facilitates an organized Trash Picking effort. Then sends me photos of hundreds of bags of trash. Or a filled dumpster. That would make my day! I am hoping as our local group grows we can also organize such an event.
When I place a “Paint & Hide” Rock now, I look at them differently. I hope as time goes on. As exposure to the trash collecting effort increases. That other people start viewing these rocks differently too. As a badge of your effort in making your, and their, part of the world better.
After our first outing we made up a small “trash kit” to be carried in our vehicle. It did cost us about $40. We recommend you do the same.
Our recommendations “Tools of the Trade” list:
Our first “Trading for Trash” haul was short of shocking. But we consider it a step in the right direction. This was our effort after our first outing placing two “Paint & Hide Rocks”. We think this was a great trade. Removing this much trash for 2 small rocks we placed to brighten someones day.
BlazingRocks.com is a proud Sponsor of TradingForTrash.com For more info or to send photo’s, please email.
info@toponautic.com
There is often more than meets the EYE“. The placement of this “Paint & Hide Rock” has a special meaning for us. It also was the catalyst to collect a large bag of trail trash. We placed this “rock” and collected trash on July 5th, 2017.
This particular placement was done at Willow Springs, inside Red Rock Conservation Area NP, just west of Las Vegas Nevada.
To the unaware or uninformed, or a person that may be visiting this area via an air conditioned vehicle. You might only see desert terrain at the base of large sand stone cliffs. A few picnic tables under a small area of trees, and a pit toilet. I am guessing at 110°F, like it was today, most people would take a peek from the comfort of their car, and drive on.
Having lived in in Las Vegas for about 20 years I have visited this particular spot many many times. In my younger years this was a popular spot to repel, technical rock climb, then hang out for a social picnic. Though in most cases it was during the 3 cooler seasons of the year.
Little do most people realize, but this area has a year round spring that flows some distance before being swallowed once again by the desert. An odd Oasis for two species of rare snails.
The Mountains Springsnail, and the Southern Nevada Springsnail both exist here. Willow Springs is one of the few places these Springsnails can be found across the entire world.
This Spring is also in near proximity to part of the “Old Spanish Trail”. A historic trade route that connected Santa Fe, New Mexico with Los Angeles, California. A trail that weaved through parts of Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, and California. A section led south out of Las Vegas, through what is now the community of Blue Diamond. Was this spring known of, and used at that time, by wagon trains? How long do you suppose it took to travel from Las Vegas to this point? 20 minutes with today’s modern vehicles. With a horse drawn wagon I could image this being a full day. A perfect stop for water and even shade, that would have been so scarce in this desert climate.
Prior to that there is evidence everywhere this particular area was used by the Native American people over many years. Within short walking distances of Willow Springs there are remnants of Agave Roasting Pits, Petroglyphs, and other water sources. It is not unusual to spot Bighorn Sheep and other wildlife. Those animals and this year round source of water would have made this area very attractive to people living off the land.
So we thought this area was the most appropriate area to send out our “EYE” on it’s journey. “More than Meets the EYE”. We placed it on a picnic table, under the shade trees, near the spring.
We “Traded for Trash”, spending about 45 minutes in the picnic area picking up trash. Plastic water bottles, soiled diapers, soiled TP, numerous soda and beer cans, paper plates, and other paper products. We did the Trade!
I must say I was a bit shocked at what some people throw on the ground in such a beautiful place. It convinced me I needed some specialty tools to continue this effort. Tools of the Trade so to speak!
On a recent Rock Hide, we spent 45-60 minutes in the Red Rock Park – (Willow Springs picnic area) collecting trash. We filled a large 33 gallon trash bag worth of trash and called it a day. Please contribute to trash clean-up whenever leaving “Painted Rocks”.
Note: Red Rock is an area west of Las Vegas, Nevada. The official name is “Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area” and is accessible with a one day purchased pass, the annual Red Rock Pass, or one of the various National Park pass holders.
We had fun hiding our first cross over Rock. A “Paint & Hide Rock” that had made it from Ohio to Las Vegas, Nevada. From the NorthEastOhioRocks group, to the BlazingRocks group in Las Vegas.
We made a short video of it’s final few miles on its way to be re-hidden.
We would like to thank the artist #ByrdsRox of the #NortheastOhioRocks Paint & Hide group.
Artist #ByrdsRox can be found on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/buddy.byrd.18