Friends of Kootenay Lake Stewardship Society (FoKLSS) in partnership with Trails for Creston Valley Society (TCVS) and the East Shore Freshwater Habitat Society (ESFHS) will be facilitating a garbage cleanup initiative along the east shore of Kootenay Lake between Riondel and Wynndel throughout the month of April.

In honor of Earth Day we are calling for all hands on deck to address the growing issue of garbage pollution on the beautiful shoreline of Kootenay Lake.  Our focus area this year is the east shore from Riondel to Wynndel. Garbage has been building up at popular public lake access sites along this stretch throughout the year, which is suspected to be a direct result of an influx of  people enjoying these beautiful spaces, paired with a lack of receptacle access. 

All you have to do to take part is:

1. Choose a favorite site you would like to clean (from the map below) and check to see if the site has already been cleaned (from the list below)
2. Let Friends of Kootenay Lake know which sites you plan to clean/have cleaned (so we can keep our list updated)
3. Get out there and clean the site! Don’t forget to check the list of what to bring below.
4. (Optional) submit photos of your cleanup to our Kootenay Lake Beach Cleanup Photo Contest for a chance to win prizes from local businesses!

Landfill fees will be covered by FoKLSS for volunteers who participate in the campaign to ensure the proper and safe disposal of removed garbage.  Please contact us at info@friendsofkootenaylake.ca to find out how to get your voucher. 

The map below displays priority areas for beach cleanup activities. 

Big thanks to the TCVS GIS team for providing the data to create this map.

The following sites either have been or will be cleaned:

• Columbia Point Park Reserve (Cleaned on April 11th)
• Kootenay Bay Ferry Landing (Cleaned weekend of Apr 10/11). Volunteers report lots of pull tabs, bottle caps and cigarette butts. There is still more work to do at this site.
• Trash Can beach in Gray Creek (Cleaned weekend of Apr 10/11)
• La France Creek – 1km North (Cleaned Apr 15)
• Pebble Beach (Cleaned Apr 17)
• Crawford Bay Park, Wetlands Beach Trail and “Log Dump” areas (Frequented by a volunteer on a multi-weekly basis).
• Lockhart Creek (to be cleaned weekend of Apr 17/18)
• Sanca/Martell Beach (Cleaned)
• Ginols Landing/ Big Rock (To be cleaned Apr 22)
• Akokli Creek (To be cleaned Apr 22)
• Kuskanook (To be cleaned Apr 22)

Update:

Due to recent increases in COVID-19 cases provincially as well as locally, we have made the tough decision to cancel invitations to join us for a clean up on April 17th and 22nd.

We are still encouraging participants to get out there, pick a water access location and clean it up!

What to bring:

• Weather appropriate clothing: hat, sunglasses, jacket, sweater, rain jacket, boots etc.
• Water and snacks
• Gloves (to protect your hands from broken glass or sharp objects)
• Cleaning supplies: buckets, garbage bags, rakes, shovels
• Optional: soft pad to kneel on, sifter/colander and grabber.

Kootenay Lake Beach Cleanup Photo Contest

See more information about the contest here.

Big thanks to our amazing funders!