Author Archives: Pliking

Today I was able to assist a hiker with terrible aim. Somehow after bagging their dog’s poop, the bright purple bag went flying into the air, and perched on a branch near the top of a very tall fir tree. Fortunately, as an experienced pliker I am always prepared. The blackberries fought back, but IContinue reading “The Flying Bag”

Every state has its weeds. In Utah, members of the Pliking Club pull Dyers Woad, Myrtle Spurge and Goatshead. Dyers Woad, which decorates Ogden’s hillsides with its small yellow flowers and can be used to create blue dye, is also an introduced nonedible plant which crowds out native plants, reducing edible vegetation for wildlife. MyrtleContinue reading “Every State Has Its Weeds”

As my friend Carolyn and I traveled across Idaho and Washington this week, we stopped at several roadside attractions, including a mummified mermaid and the actual Center of the Universe. Which I must say, is rather inconveniently positioned. Carolyn watched for traffic while I stood in the middle of the intersection for a selfie ofContinue reading “Feeding the Garbage Goat”

For many years, I was embarrassed to pick up trash, but did it anyways. When I encountered another hiker on the trail, I’d hide my bag of trash behind my back. However, since I started Pliking openly, no one has criticized me, laughed or made faces. Quite the opposite – many, many people have saidContinue reading “Picking up Litter is Cool”

It started with a boat, my sister said.  One morning, it was discovered that someone had abandoned a boat on a formerly empty lot.  Soon the boat was joined by piles of debris.  Today the lot is piled high with garbage, and it all started with a boat. I understand the attraction of adding toContinue reading “Litter Attracts Litter”

There is so much in life that I find confusing. Why can I understand my daughter’s voice when she calls from South Korea, but I don’t understand my husband when he hollers from the kitchen?  Why does it mean 6 more weeks of winter when the groundhog sees his shadow – wouldn’t that indicate theContinue reading “Idaho Roadside”

We paddled our kayaks closer to see what was floating in the water. A dead Mallard duck, his webbed feet tangled in fishing line and a clear plastic fishing bobber.  Saddened, we left the duck and continued our playaking along the Pineview Reservoir shoreline.   This wasn’t the first time we had seen a bird injuredContinue reading “Plishing and a Bridge”

Years ago, I felt like a responsible dog owner because I trained my dogs to poop off the trail.  Now I know better – even off the trail, dog poop takes up to a year to decompose.  It also leaves behind bacteria and parasites that can pollute the water and soil for many years. DogContinue reading “Poop Flowers”

We had never advertised an event so heavily.  Usually, we set up an event on Meetup, reposted it on Facebook and crossed our fingers; our average turnout was about 10 people. However, this time we were hoping for a massive response – maybe even a hundred volunteers!  We posted notices at the university and inContinue reading “One More Sunday”

Hey there, My name is Spencer Bowler. I am a student of Environmental and Sustainability Studies at the University of Utah who is dedicated to helping people make the world a cleaner and more sustainable place for us all.  I own  a small company called Less Than Wasted, We sell meditation pillows, and yoga bolstersContinue reading “Spencer Bowler, our new Marketing and Social Media Consultant”