Four days until the cleanup!
River cleanup takes aim at pollutantsBy Jennifer Feinberg - Chilliwack Progress - April 01, 2008Local riverbanks are hit hardest by vehicles that have been dumped and later torched, says Lew Chater of the Chilliwack/Vedder Cleanup Coalition.
“That does just incredible damage to the sensitive riparian areas,” he says.
The group is hosting the first of three river cleanups in 2008 this Saturday, and this type of pollution can be the worst of what they find.
When a vehicle appears abandoned in Chilliwack’s back country, it’s reported to police. But unless that vehicle has been insured by ICBC, it just sits there. Then some nitwit lights it on fire, making a bad situation even worse, Chater says.
Imagine the impact of toxic motor oil, heavy metals or other pollutants trickling down to the pristine fish habitat nearby, he adds.
“This is the first cleanup we’ve had since the end of last September so there will probably be a fair bit of debris. We’re going out a little earlier than usual, so we’ll be ahead of the vegetation a little,” he says.
What tends to get hauled out of the bush by the truckload is a real mix of household garbage, construction debris and fast-food litter.
“It’s anything from shingles, wall board, and oil, to stolen and torched vehicles.”
On April 5, about 100 volunteers are expected to cover about 60 kilometres of the world-class recreational river for the cleanup, Chater adds.
The directors have conducted a little reconnaissance on the river to assess where the worst spots are so they can direct cleanup volunteers to them.
“It makes it more efficient,” Chater says.
School kids, anglers, kayakers, guides and scouts often come out, but they always need new volunteers.
Last year, dozens of volunteers removed an incredible 9.04 tons of garbage from riparian areas, riverbanks, campsites and trails that might have ended up in the Chilliwack/Vedder river, he adds.
Even propane cylinders tossed everywhere are a concern, the coalition director says.
“With your support, we can continue to keep this popular recreational corridor a clean and enjoyable environment for all recreational users, local residents and wildlife inhabitants,” he says.
The cleanup is Saturday, April 5 hosted by the Chilliwack Vedder River Cleanup Coalition.
Participants will meet at the Great Blue Heron Nature Reserve between 8:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. to register. All volunteers will be designated to specific section of the river (from the Confluence of the Vedder and Sumas - up to the Chilliwack Hatchery - on both sides ) to conduct this cleanup.
The cleanup will wrap up by 12:30 p.m. Garbage bags and limited number of gloves and pickup tools will be available for volunteers. Tim Hortons will also be providing coffee and donuts during registration. Water will also be available.
“With the support of the City of Chilliwack and the Fraser Valley Regional District, an ongoing Adopt-a-River program has also been set up,” he says. “If you belong to a club and think that you maybe interested in adopting a section of the Chilliwack River, please let us know.”
E-mail
info@cleanrivers.ca or
lachater@shaw.ca. Questions regarding this particular cleanup or about CVRCC, please contact Chris at
gadsden@shaw.ca or Rodney at
info@fishingwithrod.com.
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Topic: Chilliwack River cleanup on April 5th, 2008 (Read 22732 times)