Earth week garbage trolling cleans the Granby River
By Mona Mattei
Over 60 people, from children to seniors, chipped in to clean up the Granby River on Sunday, Apr. 25 in recognition of Earth Day. The clean-up has been taking place for over 16 years organized by the Boundary Conservation group and the Granby Guides, and this year the Kettle Granby (KGB) Fly Anglers organized their volunteers to add to the large group of volunteers. The end result: over six truckloads of garbage, one container, and a tractor carrying a car all deposited their findings into the Grand Forks regional landfill.
The groups trolled both sides of the river from the old dam site on the west and the end of Riverside Drive on the east, to the bridge at Highway 3. Starting at 10 a.m., they wrapped up the garbage gathering just after noon and went on to a free barbeque organized at the Victorian Motel and RV Park with donations from Buy Low Foods and Extra Foods.
The day was the result of the efforts of many groups who participated: Grand Forks Wildlife Association, Boundary Conservation, Granby Guides, KGB Fly Anglers, Christina Lake Disposal, Christina Lake Stewardship Society, Grand Forks Rotary Club, Grand Forks Senior Secondary School environmental group, Kingfisher Custom Rods, Boundary Critical Intervention (first aid), Zimmer Environmental Ltd., Home Hardware Downtown, Granby Wilderness Society, and the Regional District of the Kootenay Boundary.
Some of the larger items collected included two fridges, a car, and various pieces of furniture. It was suggested that the regional landfill hours should be more clearly posted since it seems that some people who find the facility closed simply decide to toss their garbage instead.
“It seems that if the landfill fees go up, even a little bit, people just decide to throw their garbage over the bank into the river,” said Alcock. “This is our second ‘river clean’ in the last 6 months and our first one on the Kettle netted 400 kilograms of garbage from the river and its banks.”
Alcock said the total weight of their efforts will be available soon, but its expected to be much higher than the Kettle clean up with so many more people involved.
Happy Earth Week!
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