I’d like to think of myself as somewhat of an environmentalist. 

I like getting out and fully immersing myself in nature, away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and enjoying the peace and tranquility—a lot of times completely alone.

Well, almost alone.

While there may not be another person with me in my travels, often I find traces of other people, namely in the form of bottles, paper and other litter on the ground.

I’m not going to launch on a soapbox about littering; it’s too easy, and no one likes a complainer.

What I will say is I applaud the efforts of the Lake Mitchell Home Owners and Boat Owners (HOBO) Association and its twice-a-year lake cleanup, one of which was held April 11.

Instead of raising a fuss about how people should better take care of the land and water around them, HOBO just simply gets out there and does something about it.

The members all load up on their boats and go out across Lake Mitchell and pick up and pull up all kinds of trash: bottles, paper, tires—even the occasional refrigerator.

Yes, I said refrigerator.

Lakes have a special place in my heart. I essentially have spent a quarter of my life (every summer for 26 years) on the lake, and have so many fond memories of the ability to get out on the water and get away.

So when the opportunity presented itself to cover a group of people trying to better their lake, I jumped at it.

To fill up a dump truck with garbage pulled out of the water, that’s both impressive and scary. To know that people are willing to get out there and do it, that’s encouraging.

It’s like a wise man once explained to me: “Land is the most valuable resource, because they ain’t making any more of it.”

It’s true you know. We’ve got to take the best care of what we’ve got, because once it’s gone, it’s gone for good.

Kudos to you, HOBO. For getting out there, taking pride in your lake and giving others the opportunity to make memories. Thanks for letting me tag along.