Opinion/Streetalk

This ModeRn WoRld by tom tomorrow

Best time to be a teen—then or now?

Asked at the Washoe County Senior Center, 1155 E. Ninth St.

Merle Zink

Retiree Probably when I was a teenager. It was fun. A lot of times it was fun. It was the late ’50s and 1960s. We listened to rock and roll. B.B. King. Donovan.

Wayne Colvard

Retiree That’s a very good question. Well, I think when I was a teenager, my time. I think it’s awfully hard now to be a teenager—technology and everything. It’s complicated now. It was a lot easier back in my time, the ’60s. The Summer of Love.

Clean up the ditches

Reno has many amenities to recommend to outdoor enthusiasts, and one of its best is the system of canals, like the Steamboat Ditch, and its associated trails. Those trails allow urbanites to quickly connect with nature in ways that many cities lack.

That being said, conditions around those ditches have deteriorated in recent years, with the primary causes being drought and fire. The lack of vegetation has also increased the visibility of litter, illegal dumping and dog manure. Most of the litter almost certainly is not left by trail users, but it gets blown in during windstorms.

These factors raise several issues. First, a short walk on the ditch trail makes it very obvious that the canyons around the ditches in Southwest Reno, particularly the ones that have not burned in recent fires, are wildfires waiting to happen. Homeowners who live nearby should be careful to make their properties as resistant to fires as possible. Among other things, that includes removing dead bushes and trees and not allowing leaves to pile up under decks or in gutters. More information can be found at www.livingwithfire.info.

The cottonwoods in the washes killed by fires also need to be addressed. As they dry out, they become better fuel, and fires that wouldn’t typically be hot enough may now ignite them. When burned-out areas are not replanted with desirable plants, undesirable plants like cheatgrass grow. Cheatgrass burns more easily and more often. While it’s obvious there have been some efforts to control erosion, particularly using those long, straw wattles, it appears more

revegetation is necessary to preserve the integrity of those hillsides, and decrease the chance of more wildfires. And while the trails are used by many Northern Nevadans, they are not maintained by government agencies as parks are. That means nobody is responsible to clean up the plastic shopping bags or cardboard boxes that get flung into the washes by the wind. In fact, it appears the Steamboat Ditch Company, which maintains the canal, worsens the problem by trimming the willows that line the ditch, leaving them in piles upon which detritus catches, and which worsens the fire risks for nearby homeowners. It’s up to people who use the trail to While the trails keep it clean. If they would choose one are used by day a year to take a garbage bag out, many Northern and just voluntarily clean up a section, the trail could easily be maintained and Nevadans, they are beautiful. Since most of it is not public not maintained by land, it’s unlikely that a group clean-up day will ever be planned. It’s up to government agencies those of us who use it. as parks are. And finally, why do we have to bring up the issue of the dog poop? Those who want to walk their dog on the ditch have at least a minimum responsibility to clean up their animals’ excrement. Show a little common courtesy. Nobody wants to see or accidentally step in that stuff. The ditch trails around Reno are a great amenity, but it’s not hard to imagine them getting shut down for public use. Already some homeowners have put up fences on the easement, and it’s not that hard to imagine others wanting to eliminate the strangers from their backyards. Keeping the area clear of trash and maintained against fire may help alleviate these issues. Ω Helen Gray

Retiree Then. I think times were a little easier. There wasn’t as much peer pressure. It was great. It was the 1960s. Bobby Darin, Fabian, the Beatles.

Nancy Millen

Retiree When I was. I had a lot of things to do. I think it’s so hard today for kids to do things. We had a lot of fun when I was a teen. Sixties. It was nice. Go to the movies, roller skating, ice skating, because I lived in Boston.

Larry Shearin

Retiree When I was a teenager. Things were much better, economically and everything. When I was a boy, buying my Pepsi-Cola was 10 cents, a big 16 ounce. The ’60s.