Cranbrook, BC – Last Friday, 19 Grade 7/8 students from Kootenay Christian Academy worked together to clean up 100 kilos of waste from Joseph Creek. Concentrating their efforts around the perimeter of the Tamarack Mall parking area, they removed candy wrappers, drinks cups, plastic tops, straws and shopping bags, and even some hubcaps.
The clean-up was a Student Action Project, an integral part of Know Your Watershed, an environmental education program of the Columbia Basin Trust, administered and managed by Wildsight.
“The Know Your Watershed Program teaches students about local water issues, where their water comes from and where it goes after we flush it or send it down the drain. The Student Action Project empowers students to tackle a local water issue, in this case removing garbage from Joseph Creek,” said Wildsight educator, Dave Quinn.
Margo Louw, a Grade 8 student and one of the participants, said, “It was messy and I did not expect to find as much garbage as we found. It felt great to clean up the creek. Lots of people walking by stopped to say thanks.”
“Cleaning up a short section of the creek near the school is a simple way for students to anchor some of the concepts from the program, from the need for clean water, to the fact that everyone shares a stake in protecting our clean waters,” added Dave Quinn.