Recently I went to Rancho Simi Park and I saw something that made me react in tears.

I walked around the pond that everyone loves and I saw a goose with fishing net around its leg, and it could not move well. It jumped into the water as I was trying to help it and it could not swim.

It made me upset and outraged that someone could be so careless as to not clean up after finishing fishing.

Simi gives people permission to fish, not to litter. I also saw fishing lines hanging from the trees, and again I was disgusted.

I don’t believe that there should even be fishing in that pond because it is dangerous; even if people do clean up after, fishing line gets stuck and breaks off, and animals could eat that and choke.

This pond was filthy, and those poor animals were swimming in it. I started to cry, something I have never done so easily. I have never reacted with so much empathy toward something like that.

Everyone loves to feed those animals; it gives joy to little kids, but the trash I see in that pond is disgraceful. Earth is supposed to be this beautiful place, and people are destroying it. I want to help, and I need help to help.

I have it in my heart to help these animals stay healthy.
Breana Rivas
Simi Valley