Sunday October 6, 2024 | OTTER POINT, BC [Updated 6:35 pm]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
The Sooke ATV Club recently marked their 4th annual Environmental cleanup day.
This year the Sooke ATV Club focused its efforts in Otter Point around the forested rural area of Butler Road and Young Lake Road area. The work was done on Friday September 28 from 9 am to 1 pm.
Cleanup teams went about 10 meters off the road into the bush but most of the waste was right on the edge of the road, says Dillon Baycroft, President, Sooke ATV Club.
Items picked up from the roadside and in the bush were mostly construction waste, dry wall, old carpets, and plastic bottles. There were also abandoned camping items like tents, mattresses and bedding.
Household junk was also found and bagged up, including plastic toys. There was an old wheelbarrow.
The cleanup was done just one day ahead of a Juan de Fuca-Malahat provincial all candidates meeting that was held on September 29 at the CRD electoral area building on Butler Road.
The cleanup was done by 20 volunteers from the Sooke and Otter Point areas. All of the volunteers were ATV or side-by-side riders who enjoy riding their recreational vehicles in the local area.
The volunteers collected illegally-dumped garbage and waste from the roadsides.
A waste bin was filled in the span of four hours, estimated as 1,000 kg or 2,200 lbs of waste from the somewhat remote area.
The waste bin rental was donated by Sooke Disposal.
Partners to the project were The Great Outdoors Fund and UnSmoke Canada which provided grant funding. Sooke Disposal covered the cost trucking and bin delivery.
Similar cleanups are done around the Sooke region through the year including cleanup of parks and shorelines.
The Sooke ATV Club was founded in 2019 with the goal of having fun riding ATV/UTV/SXS’s. That includes a focus on creating an educational and safe environment for all levels of ATV riders. Sooke ATV is an affiliate of the provincial association ATVBC. There are more than 30 similar clubs in BC.
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