The September cleanup of Katzie Slough bagged a hill of garbage, and a canoe-based sweep is planned for later this month.
Timo Hess, a volunteer spokesperson with the Katzie Slough Restoration, project told council that last month’s cleanup addressed the issue of garbage in the slough, to some extent, as a team of 37 volunteers pulled out 26 bags of full, which weighed more than 200 kg. Most of it was in the form of takeout containers and disposable cups, but there were also chairs, pallets, a shopping carts, as well as a large mirror.
“It was a great show of community spirit,” said Hess, noting that some of the volunteers were just passersby who saw the effort and joined in.
Hess is hoping for a similar effort on Oct. 24, when volunteers will again meet for a cleanup, this time based from canoes, so they can do more than just the shoreline. They will gather where the slough meets Harris Road, just south of Old Dewdney Trunk Road, and work from 2-4 p.m.
The slough also suffers from poor water quality and flow, and this is exacerbated by invasive plants on the shoreline.
One of the volunteer projects in 2016 will be to remove invasive plants from the riparian area (shore) of the slough, and replace them with native plants, said Hess.
The goal of the Katzie Slough Restoration Project is to restore the waterway, which is primarily used as an irrigation source and drainage ditch by farmers, to a coho salmon habitat.
The project is taking reservations for one of its five canoes for the Oct. 24 event.
It will be a tour of the slough, followed by a cleanup event. The cost to rent a canoe is $20, or participants can bring their own.
“The aim is to get on the water and enjoy it,” said Lina Azeez, of the Watershed Watch Salmon Society, “with a cleanup at the end of the day.”
• To register for one of the five canoes contact Azeez at lina@watershedwatch.ca or call 604-537-2341.