Heavy rains didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of volunteers in the 2013 riverfront cleanup in Queensborough.
Eighty-one people donned raingear, boots and gloves to pick up garbage and pull invasive plants during the Sept. 22 shoreline cleanup along South Dyke Road. The cleanup attracted one more volunteer than last year’s event, which was held on a sunny and warm day.
“Even with the rain, more people came out this year than last year. Seeing firsthand this kind of commitment and effort by citizens was truly amazing, and their participation is making a difference,” said Karla Olson, cleanup coordinator and member of New Westminster Environmental Partners. “They are getting the litter out of our water systems and removing invasive plants that harm our shoreline ecosystem.”
New Westminster Environmental Partners organized the riverfront cleanup to kick off RiverFest, an art and environmental festival that takes place at Westminster Quay on Sept. 20 and 21.
Citizens from Burnaby, Coquitlam, Langley, Port Moody, Richmond, Surrey, Vancouver and New Westminster removed an oil drum, two TVs, a toilet, a small mattress, a tire, a garden pot, gardening tools, more than 10 plastic buckets, large blocks of Styrofoam, plastic and glass bottles, cans, building materials, plastics from food containers, cigarette butts, plastic bags and food wrappers from the area along South Dyke Road in Queensborough.
New Westminster Environmental Partners is concerned about the dumping of yard waste that’s occurring in the area near the Fraser River. Although residents may view it as organic material, the group points out that it could be introducing non-native species into the habitat and adding nutrients that create an imbalance to this ecosystem.
“What also happens is that in addition to yard waste, whether on purpose or accidentally, other things get dumped,” Olson added. “Patrick Johnstone, the invasive plant leader this year, found a plant pot and there were a few gardening tools that were found in these piles as well.”
In addition to garbage, volunteers also removed invasive plants along South Dyke Road.
Three years ago Queensborough resident Laurel Wright helped remove the invasive plant English ivy from the trunk of a Douglas fir tree, but there was no regrowth last year so she removed blackberries. The English ivy had returned this year so she removed that at this year’s event.
New Westminster Environmental Partners will be attending RiverFest this weekend, where they will be presenting information about the garbage collected at the shoreline cleanup, photos and possibly a few samples of items collected. The group’s members will also show people how to make their own kitchen organic bin liners from newspapers and will provide information about the group’s other activities, such as the New West Doc Fest in October.
RiverFest: Inspired by the River gets underway on Friday, Sept. 27 from 4 to 9 p.m., and runs on Saturday, Sept. 28 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Westminster Quay, near River Market and Fraser River Discovery Centre.
