The Michael J. Kirwan Reservoir, known commonly as West Branch Reservoir, was built in 1965 by the Army Corps of Engineers.

It was “developed for flood control, water supply, recreation and fish and wildlife management,” according to the Ohio Division of Wildlife.

Since I was two years old I have been coming to West Branch with my father. We’ve camped for days in the West Branch State Park, hiked nearly all the surrounding trails and have spent countless hours on the shores of the lake hoping to catch a fish.

When I was younger my father and I would join my cub scout troop for the West Branch Clean Up, an event held the weekend of Earth Day where volunteers do as the event name suggests, they clean up West Branch. Clearing debris, fixing trails and general park maintenance are all apart of the clean up but the biggest aspect is the litter collection.

My troop alone would come back to the staging site with a dozen or so bags.

I haven’t been to a clean up in many years, but wanted to go back, to see how much litter there was, what potential for water pollution there was, at one of the commonly used boat launches at the lake. So, I went to one of the spots I use to fish with my camera and a trash bag in search of what was left behind.

I timed myself, to see what I would find in just one hour, and where I would find it. The two areas I focused on where the surrounding brushline to the parking lot, and the parking lot itself. Within moments of getting out of my car I found cigarette butts, a charcoal grill, beer bottles and three tires.

I got to work, picking up what I could, photographing it, and documenting its location.

The purpose of all of this is to document the amount of litter and pollution at one, seemingly clean, boat launch. At one lake, in one count in one state. If it is this bad at one relatively well kept location in Ravenna, then how bad is the pollution at others, and what does that mean for that ecosystem?

Part of the brush line of the boat launch, where a vast majority of plastics and cigarette butts were found.

A charcoal grill, found a few feet from my car in the parking lot.

One of many beer bottles found tossed in the brush line

Pieces of two pain killer packages that were in the parking lot.

A tube of lipstick, half buried in the dirt along the parking lot and a set of wax vampire lips, found in the parking lot.

Plastic fork from the brush line, found around a styrofoam container and Polar Pop cups.

Chunks of styrofoam found in the brush line.

Wrappers from the parking lot and brush line

These are the pieces of debris and trash I picked up 50 feet from a boat launch at West Branch State Park, Ravenna, Ohio Walking around the parking lot I found cigarette butts, wrappers and soda cups. Walking a few feet into the brush line I found more cups, more cigarette butts, styrofoam and dozens of easily recycleable bottles and cans.