Face masks and dirty diapers: Trash piles up at California lake shoreline, photo shows

Hundreds of pieces of litter are picked up weekly during the busy summer season at a California national recreation area.

Park staff at Whiskeytown National Recreation Area have pulled litter from the shores of Whiskeytown Lake, including used diapers, face masks, dog poop and recyclable items like plastic bottles and aluminum cans, the park said in a Facebook post Friday.

“Yet we still get lots of complaints that there is too much trash out there,” Whiskeytown officials said on Facebook. “We agree that there is too much.”

Litter can hurt park wildlife and increase the spread and intensity of fires, park officials said.

“If you can pack it in, you can pack it out,” Whiskeytown said. “Please leave your beach or picnicking spot cleaner than you left it.”

As more people head outdoors during the coronavirus pandemic, they’re leaving their trash behind — including masks. Whiskeytown National Recreation Area isn’t the only place in the West where litter is an issue.

Trash piled up at Bryce Canyon National Park, including cigarette butts, single-use masks and socks, McClatchy News reported.

The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources said in July that people are “trashing your public lands thoroughly this year,” McClatchy News reported. Photos show mounds of trash invading Utah’s public lands. In some photos, trash is piled up next to a trail. In others, the trash covers the ground.

In Yellowstone National Park, masks are flying off people’s faces and landing in geysers, McClatchy News reported.

“On a single visit last week we came across 8 masks, 5 hats, 3 water bottles, and a pair of sunglasses,” the park said on a post on Facebook.

This story was originally published August 28, 2020 at 12:54 PM with the headline "Face masks and dirty diapers: Trash piles up at California lake shoreline, photo shows."