Some odder items were discovered among the refuse. Frank Ritcey holds up an antique gas can which people used for target practice.
Image Credit: Contributed
March 21, 2016 - 8:00 PM
KAMLOOPS - While the area is still in need of much cleanup, several community groups and members of the public made a sizeable dent in the mess of refuse abandoned in the Lac Du Bois grasslands yesterday, March 20.
Frank Ritcey, who helped lead cleanup efforts as part of the Kamloops Naturalist Club, says over 118 people turned up for the group’s cleanup day — those from two years of age to his own father who is 91. Along with the naturalist club, members from the fish and game and 4X4 clubs joined along with employees for the City of Kamloops, the Conservation Officers Service, Parks and the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations.
“It was really a community effort and it was just such a pleasure to see that many people come together to make a difference,” he says. "It’s always hard because you always see the few that ruin it for everyone else. There are more people that do care about this than don’t care about it. That’s what people have to remember."
The grasslands is a popular area for several activities, from offroading to hiking. But litter in the park has been an ongoing issue for years, Ritcey says. And while the problem won’t go away overnight, he says cleanup efforts will hopefully deter future abuse of the area.
Yesterday’s efforts yielded nearly 20,000 lbs of material, Ritcey says. Everything from couches and tires to sinks, windows and the body of a Volkswagen beetle were recovered by volunteers and trucked to the dump.
“We got a really good chunk of it, but there’s more to be done,” he says.
Ritcey says a future cleanup day is expected to be organized by the Kamloops 4X4 group. If you see someone polluting the grasslands next time you're there, you are encouraged to contact the RAPP line at 1-877-952-7277 (RAPP).
To contact the reporter for this story, email Glynn Brothen at gbrothen@infonews.ca or call 250-319-7494. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
News from © iNFOnews, 2016