Community Corner
Turkey Hill Beer Parties
Every morning I walk my dog at Turkey Hill, a small patch of conservation land a few blocks from where I live. All summer and during warmer nights in Spring and Fall, teens gather there after dark and drink. No one would even know about it, except they leave lots of evidence. The next morning, we find beer cans strewn around their "campsite" and other trash. Most upsetting of all, though, is their penchant for throwing glass bottles, which shatter and endanger the dogs who walk there and the wildlife that live there. Several dog walkers, including myself, pick up after them, much like mothers picking up after their children. I've posted signs asking them not to throw glass and to recycle their trash. But it's like spitting into the wind. I wonder what would happen if we just left it there for a few months. Would it deter them? Also worrisome is that they make fires, which usually are contained on the rock piles some past generation made for this purpose. But occasionally, they set afire a tree stump, probably while drunk. And twice, to my knowledge, the fires spread enough for the fire department to be called to the site. Luckily the fires were contained and didn't spread to houses that abutt the property. But we can't depend upon luck forever.