Park Service: No glass, Styrofoam at Lake Mead this July 4

By Jean Reid Norman

Wednesday, July 1, 2009 | 12:14 p.m.

Visitors to Lake Mead this holiday weekend are being asked to leave the Styrofoam and glass containers at home.

Styrofoam and glass have been prohibited in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area since March. Park rangers will patrol highly visited areas and let visitors know of the ban, National Park Service spokesman Andrew Munoz said. The Park Service expects 150,000 to 200,000 visitors over the three-day July 4 weekend, he said.

Visitors who have brought glass or Styrofoam into the park will be asked to keep those containers in the car or throw them away. Rangers have the authority to write a ticket, Munoz said, but the Park Service hopes to avoid citations.

“While there are going to be fines, we do not want to resort to having to give someone a ticket,” he said. “We are looking for voluntary compliance on this.”

Glass containers have been prohibited in most of the park for years because of the potential for visitors to get cut on broken glass, Munoz said.

Styrofoam was added to the banned list this year in an effort to cut down on litter, Munoz said. The problem with Styrofoam, he said, is that it breaks up into smaller pieces that are hard to collect and throw away.

The Park Service recommends plastic bottles, which may not be environmentally friendly, but they don’t break into smaller pieces, he said. Boxed wine and canned beer are recommended alternatives as well.

However, no alcohol is allowed in the Placer Cove area of Lake Mohave near Nelson, Nev. That ban was put into place to make the area more family friendly, Chief Ranger Mary Hinson said.

Munoz added that visitors are encouraged to take their trash with them when they leave Lake Mead.

“We want to keep Lake Mead a clean and beautiful place,” he said.

A full list of park designations, closures, permit requirements, and other restrictions can be found at www.nps.gov/lame/parkmgmt/docs.htm.