Spring cleaning: Calgary’s annual pathway and river cleanup underway

Thousands of kilograms of garbage are expected to be picked up in the annual pathway and river cleanup in Calgary over the next three days, beginning Friday.

Jim Davis, parks program coordinator with Calgary parks and open spaces, said 2,000 volunteers will cover the 300 kilometres of river pathways and who knows what they will find.

“People find bikes. They find all sorts of things. This event started because a young girl found a mattress in the Elbow River in the ’60s,” Davis said.

That was 12-year-old Sandra Crawford in 1967. Modern volunteers face different challenges. An encampment along Nose Creek last week saw garbage strewn everywhere and potential unseen dangers like drugs and weapons.

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Bylaw officers were called to the Nose Creek encampment. Davis said his volunteers are told to give any encampments they come upon a wide berth.

“We advise volunteers to avoid encampments, to not enter encampments and they have contact info for people like 311, Alpha House encampment team. So, it’s primarily to give the encampments a wide berth.”

Volunteers are given special tools and knowledge to handle any potential dangers they find along the pathway. Davis said a needle was found almost immediately after the cleanup began Friday morning.

“They are going down to put a hazard flag where the needle is. We advise them not to touch it then, they phone the Alpha House from the site and Alpha House is able to geo-locate it,” Davis said. “They know where it is and then they come pick it up.”

Veteran cleanup volunteer Amber Brown said she wouldn’t miss the opportunity to make a difference.

“I like coming and cleaning parkland for people to enjoy. It’s easy. You get to go out with your friends and colleagues and pick up trash, lovely day and good exercise.”

Chinyelu Obasi is a first-time volunteer. She said it’s all about taking pride in where we live.

“I just feel it’s a nice opportunity, a nice initiative, bringing people together to make the environment cleaner, and make it safer for all of us.”