What do the moose think?

I walked Birdie up Milan Hill Road today when I got home from work.  First, I noticed all of the moose tracks.  The shoulder is very damp these days, and Milan Hill is clearly a moose byway.  Each day, I see fresh tracks.  In case you were wondering, the moose are definitely back!  In short order, however, all of the trash intruded on my moose euphoria.  There must have been twenty or more beer bottles in a third of a mile stretch, plus another couple dozen beer cans, some soda/pop bottles, and a digital pregnancy tester (I don't even want to know!).  Moose tracks and a beer bottle.  More moose tracks and three crushed cans.   

I found myself wondering what the moose think of all the shit that litters their home.  Do they notice it?  (How could they not?)  Does it disturb them?  And I don't mean emotionally (the way it disturbs me!).  I wonder: Does the trash get in their way?  Cause them to change their behavior?

And what about the people who toss their trash out the window?  I recently had a conversation about our disconnection from nature.  It seems to me that one of the symptoms of  humanity's disconnection from the natural world just might be the ability to litter without conscience.  

Milan Hill Road is a beautiful spot.  There are more trees than houses; you can see wildflowers by the side of the road.  There are several marshy areas right by the road.  And, on a good day, you can see a moose in a moose wallow.  How disconnected do you have to be to throw a beer bottle into this?

Sometimes I walk with a garbage bag.  But, it's kind of a losing battle.  Tonight, I was simply sad.