A few days ago I was out walking my dog behind Town Hall when I noticed my shoe had started clicking on the sidewalk.  I looked down to see that I’d stepped on a big, rusty fishhook.  I see people fishing out there nearly every day, and mostly they don’t cause a problem.  However, the fishhook reminded me that there can be unexpected hazards from their activities if they don’t police their trash before leaving.

The fishhook, of course, is dangerous to any pets who might be walking in the area, since most of them don’t wear shoes.  I’ve also seen plastic worms/lures on the ground, and I can’t help but think they could be dangerous to the ducks, should a duck attempt to eat one.  But the worst offender, in my mind, is the person who keeps leaving big tangles of cast-off fishing line on the ground.  Last spring I saw a duck that had become entangled in the line and drowned.  I can only imagine that it was a horrible, slow, and ultimately needless death.