For the sixth year in a row, volunteers gathered in Peachland to help clean up the local watershed.
What they yanked out of a steep ravine on Saturday morning, though, was surprising — even to them.
“We just pulled up a motorcycle, a front-end loader tire. There are five or six vehicles we’re going to have to attempt to pull,” said Kane Blake of the Okanagan Forest Task Force.
The task force teamed up with the Peachland Watershed Protection Alliance to haul out garbage dumped by others. In all, about 40 people volunteered their time.
“We’re trying to protect the quality of water going into our water treatment plant by removing garbage from the watershed,” said Judy Wyper of the alliance.
Saturday’s cleanup involved several organizations: the regional district, which provided vests, bags and gloves; the Peachland Fire Department, which sent volunteers; the Lions Club, which fired up a barbecue; and ABC Recycling, which donated heavy equipment.
“People are using the bush as a garbage dump,” said Wyper as a washer and dryer were collected from the site. “It boggles the mind.”
The motorbike was around 150 feet down the steep ravine. The vehicles? Kane estimates them to be between 700 and 800 feet down.
Pulling them up could be problematic, as Kane notes the area has a lot of cliffs and unstable ground.
“Safety is going to No. 1,” Blake said. “If we can’t remove it, we can’t remove it.”
The task force will organize another backcountry cleanup this month, on May 25, albeit in Okanagan Falls.
Blake estimates that cleanup will yield around 200,000 pounds of illegally dumped material.
The massive tire the volunteers pulled out Saturday was estimated at 1,000 pounds.
“We come across tires, tires and rims … all that kind of stuff, down ravines all the time,” he said. “This was one of the bigger tires we’ve removed, but we will get it done.”
The task force says it has hauled approximately 854,000 pounds of metal and garbage from the backcountry in recent years.
Blake said of what they pull away, “Nothing surprises me anymore. As disgusting as it is, we have made a big impact. Every day, we keep pushing forward and do our best to continue making that impact.”