All too often, though, those beloved waters and the banks that embrace them are blemished by orphan plastic bags, escaped from useful service to consumers, adrift in wind and water. I see them tangled in trees, snarled on fences, snagged on river rocks, enduring for months and years until the sun slowly degrades them enough that the filmy vestiges disappear, no doubt dispersing as tiny particles too small to see. They are a nuisance, weed-like artifacts of disposable commerce, and we can cull them down from the present state of over-abundance by accepting an adult attitude of responsibility. We can apply American ideals of innovation, frugality and independence from artifacts of convenience.

I urge you, fellow voters of Durango, to say “yes” to implementation of the bag fee ordinance and foster a vision of an enhanced future.

Jeff DeCelles

Durango