To the editor:

This is an open letter to all the organizations that place temporary, usually cardboard, signs around the county.

As a member of the Brown County Solid Waste’s Adopt-A-County-Road program, I have for 15 years picked up litter along three miles of Green Valley Road. What I am beginning to see more and more though are temporary signs stuck on trees, fence posts, existing road signs and in the ground. Many of these are directions to an outdoor wedding, bike ride or party directions.

Since I am responsible for cleaning litter, I usually remove these signs and dispose of them properly since they have not been removed after the event, wedding, etc. And, many of these events are hosted by people from out of the Brown County area.

Just today I removed some signs posted on traffic signs with clothespins and in the ground that had been there nearly a month. All that was hand printed on these signs was “BIKE.”

Obviously, this was some type of bike ride through the back roads, but you would think that after the event the planners would remove these signs, especially an organization that promotes healthy living like a bike ride coordinator.

Another annoying litter problem are the balloons announcing an upcoming wedding or event that are tied to trees, existing traffic signs and bridge supports. These are difficult to remove because I have to get scissors and cut the ribbon or string and usually it’s tangled.

If you are participating or hosting an event and need to put up temporary signs, can I please ask that you be a good neighbor and remove them after the event? If you are a wedding or event venue will you ask those in charge of the event to please remove their temporary signs and leave our county as beautiful as they found it?

And, for those Brown Countians who love this landscape, can I encourage you to contact the Brown County Recycle Center and adopt a mile or two of county roads and help maintain our beautiful hills?

Thank you!

Marylin Day, Nashville

Send letters to [email protected] by noon Thursday before the date of intended publication (noon Wednesday on holiday weeks). Letters are the opinions of the writer. Letters must be signed by the author and include the writer’s town of residence and a contact number in case of questions.

Only one letter every two weeks, per writer, to allow for diversity of voices in the opinions section. Please be considerate of sharing space with other letter-writers and keep your comments concise and to the point. Avoid name-calling, accusations of criminal activity and second- and third-hand statements of “fact.”