While 99% of visitors to Moraine State Park's North Shore beach respect the venue and leave it as they found it, another element sees fit to leaving the sand in shambles.

A photo appeared on the “Friends of Moraine State Park” Facebook page showing all manor of trash littering the beach at sundown Sunday.

Dirty diapers, toys, children's floatation devices, discarded drink containers and other refuse can be seen on the sand and grass at the edge of Lake Arthur.

Lenny Iorio, who took the picture at around 8 p.m. Sunday, said the beach's four picnic tables were covered in empty soda cans and water bottles.

One table contained an empty six-pack of whiskey. Alcohol is prohibited at the state park.

“I was amazed,” Iorio said.

He said when he got out of his friend's truck to get his fishing pole upon arriving at the beach, he noticed the truck had run over a dirty diaper.

The friends walked to a bench close to the beach and saw another used diaper in the sand.

At that time, Iorio said, there still was a smattering of families enjoying the beach.

“I was just floored when everyone started to leave and none of that stuff on the beach went with them,” Iorio said.

The two anglers cleaned up the picnic tables and carefully disposed of the diaper on the beach.

Iorio said the park rangers should keep a closer eye on the activity at the beach, given the whiskey bottles left behind.

Dustin Drew, park manager, said such a mess is not unusual after a hot summer weekend.

“Anytime you have a large crowd together, you're going to have to pick up some litter,” Drew said.

He said the beach contained slightly more litter than usual this weekend.

Park employees picked up the trash Monday morning as usual, he said.

“It's common courtesy to clean up after yourself,” a frustrated Drew said. “That's our expectation with all of our visitors.”

He said a few trash receptacles are available near the snack bar, but beachgoers are expected to use trash bins in the parking lot to discard their garbage.

“It's a more efficient way to gather trash and get rid of it,” Drew said of the bins.

He said in addition to the poor aesthetics created by a trash-strewn beach and the sanitary issues presented by dirty diapers, the situation could affect the park.

“If some of that gets into the lake or plastic bags blow into the woods, it's a threat to wildlife,” Drew said.

Regarding the whiskey containers, Drew said he did not see them, but reiterated that alcohol is not permitted anywhere in the park at any time.

He said rangers who find visitors using alcohol can issue a citation that will end up costing the offender at least $200.

“We're here to allow (visitors) to recreate, but sometimes it would be nice if they would do a little more to ensure they are not impacting the park when they leave,” Drew said.

David Murray, president of the Moraine Preservation Fund, also was disappointed to hear the North Shore beach was littered with garbage after the busy weekend.

“I'm happy that so many people are using the park, but they certainly need to do the responsible thing by picking up their trash and responsibly disposing of it,” Murray said.

Comments on the Friends of Moraine State Park Facebook page offered advice on the issue, from placing trash cans closer to the beach to ranger surveillance to closing the beach completely.