The Okanagan Forest Task Force hosted its first-ever fundraiser to help ensure they have the resources needed for cleaning up the forests across the Central Okanagan.
“We’re looking for money for rakes, shovels, things like that for the cleanups, and in general just to keep us afloat,” said OFTF founder, Kane Blake.
“We’re going to be covering all the way from Vernon to Okanagan Falls this year.”
Donations will also be going towards the repairs and maintenance of the groups tow truck. A member of the force recently donated the truck, but it needed a lot of work.
“When we first got it, it had bald tires and the only gear that worked was reverse,” explained Blake.
Thanks to the donations of several local businesses, the truck is almost ready to hit the road, where it will be used to haul out abandoned vehicles and other heavy items.
“It was a lot of work, we’re probably into it for about 30 or so hours, and it was sitting on our hoist for about 6 weeks by the time we managed to get all the parts together,” described Austin Hawthorne, owner of AH Repair in Lake Country.
“It’s a bit of a work in progress but it’s coming along nicely.”
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Since its inception in 2016, the Okanagan Forest Task Force has cleaned up over 600,000 pounds of garbage in the Central Okanagan, and Blake expects it to be another busy season in the backcountry.
“The growth of the garbage is definitely picking up, and it’s just gotten worse and worse,” said Blake.
“Last year we pulled out 143 vehicles from the backcountry, and this year we’ll be able to use this (truck) to help make that possible again.”
In order to carry out the clean ups, the group relies on the help of its volunteers, averaging roughly 100 volunteers each clean up.
“We’ve got outdoor enthusiasts and even businesses that come and help us out,”
“Some of our sponsors — like ABC Recycling — they bring out their big magnet truck to help us remove any metal, and Nor-Val Rentals gives us all our heavy equipment to help make light work of what could be a very heavy job.”
In 2021, OFTF used money donated by Big White to purchase several trail cameras and placed them along forest service roads that are ‘hot spots’ for illegal dumping.
Those caught carelessly discarding their garbage in B.C. could face a fine of up to $1 million, and even jail time under the province’s environmental management act.
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