What a great site to pull up to a campsite and figure out what the previous people were eating laying on the bottom of the lake. This is gotta be one of the most disappointing things. Is this getting more and more or what?

It's the trend of society in general--

ego/pride
selfishness
and lack of respect for others

food in the lake is unsightly for sure. Better than rotting leeches though.

I'd trade you some fish remains for some rice anytime. Why can't they just follow the rules? I think it is probably worse at campsites near the EP's because most slobs don't work very hard. However, a few years ago the island campsite on Boulder was trashed with fish remains. Very disappointing.

Last year arrived at my favorite campsite on Ella Hall dead filleted fish left for me to clean up. Hard to get rotten fish off your hands.

I too have noticed an increase in food deposited in the lakes. It only takes a minute or two to walk back int he woods and bury in the top 6" of the soil, where it will break down quickly!

On my first trip this year, I had to land the canoe over the top of someones left over spagehetti for 4 days before most of it was gone!

I never have food leftovers, because I know that if I do, I'm carrying them out. My preference is, if possible, to avoid digging holes and burying stuff. While not required everywhere, used TP generally comes out with me too, wherever I am backpacking or paddling.

quote WhiteWolf: "It's the trend of society in general--

ego/pride
selfishness
and lack of respect for others
"

Exactly !!!! p.s. I hope I dont open a can of worms but everytime someone bounces a cigarette butt off my car at 70 miles an hour because they just flicked it out their window, I always think to myself, this is the kind of person I hope doesn' make it to the boundary waters .

The whole reason I like it in the BW is to get away from the milfoil of the world. The fact that you have to work a little bit on vacation really turns people off. But there's always some that squeak in.
Milfoil is a little harsh comparison, but fitting: dirty, evasive weeds that ruin lakes over time.

quote Basspro69: " Exactly !!!! p.s. I hope I dont open a can of worms but everytime someone bounces a cigarette butt off my car at 70 miles an hour because they just flicked it out their window, I always think to myself, this is the kind of person I hope doesn' make it to the boundary waters ."

I absolutely hate when people do that. Whenever I see someone flick a cig butt out the window I have to fight the urge to ram my car into them.

quote Brando75: "The whole reason I like it in the BW is to get away from the milfoil of the world. The fact that you have to work a little bit on vacation really turns people off. But there's always some that squeak in.
Milfoil is a little harsh comparison, but fitting: dirty, evasive weeds that ruin lakes over time."

+1

Or about the individuals who think signs and the law don't mean them?? Now- as younger person,, I made my mistakes but have learned (sometimes the hard way to respect the law).
NO PARKING means NO PARKING-- almost daily I see healthy, grown adults parking for several minutes to load or drop people off in front of a NO PARKING SIGN (the hashed yellow paint) next to a grocery store or whatever-- when the open spaces in the parking lot are JUST 25-50 yards away. But they think they are "special"

Another reason that I do not wash my trash. It leaves food in the water.

On my first trip, at our first campsite, I made the exact same mistake. I did not dump food purposely in the lake but while washing dishes rice and food particles were all in the water beside camp. That's when I really learned just how clear that water really is.

I made an attempt to pick out what I could but I am sure that I did not get it all. Hopefully no one came behind us and had their trip ruined.