Volunteers to cleanup Peachland watershed on Saturday

Photo: Contributed

Volunteer groups will be giving Mother Nature some love on Mothers Day weekend during a backcountry cleanup event in the Peachland watershed.

Organized by the Okanagan Forest Task Force and the Peachland Watershed Alliance, the public is invited to help clean up multiple dump sites in the area.

The cleanup will take place Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

“Illegal dumping is on the rise. The task force’s goal is simple, to work to keep forests clean and to bring public awareness to the issue of illegal dumping in local forested areas. Since we started September 2015, we have managed to remove 141,980 pounds of garbage and pulled out 170,520 pounds of scrap metal from the area. That is an amazing 312,500 pounds of waste that was illegally dumped in the forests around the valley,” said Kane Blake of the Okanagan Forest Task Force.

The District of Peachland, which pulls its drinking water from the watershed, is continually pulling stolen vehicles out of the Deep Creek ravine.

“We can all do our part to make a positive difference in our watersheds. If you know of any illegal dumping in our watersheds such as household waste or abandoned vehicles, please contact us with the locations. We need to keep our watersheds and their waterways clean and safe for humans and for fish,” said Chair of the Peachland Watershed Protection Alliance, Jack Gerow.

The cleanup is expected to consist of 15 groups in small cohorts such as family bubbles. Safety instructions will start at 9 a.m.

The staging area is at kilometre zero of Brenda Mines Road at the top of Princeton Avenue at the cattle guard — GPS location 49.757096,-119.810368.

Photo: Contributed