Photos of the 2013 South Dyke Road Riverfront Cleanup

Even with the rain, more people came out to the 2013 Shoreline Cleanup than last year. With their help, we are getting litter out of our water systems and removing invasive plants that harm our shoreline ecosystem.

“Taking care of our environment and natural habitats really is a regional effort that goes beyond our local shoreline. Many volunteers came from outside New Westminster, including citizens from Burnaby, Coquitlam, Langley, Port Moody, Richmond, Surrey, and Vancouver. Two groups that took part were RBC Dominion Securities Inc. and Douglas College.”—Karla Olson, Site Coordinator and NWEP Member

Together 80 participants removed an oil drum, 2 TVs, a toilet, a small mattress, a tire, a garden pot, gardening tools, more than 10 plastic buckets, large blocks of Styrofoam, plastic and glass bottles, cans, building materials, plastics from food containers, cigarette butts, plastic bags and food wrappers. Participants removed the invasive plants bamboo, English ivy, holly, Lamium, morning glory, and targeted sections of blackberry, which because of it’s dense thicket and thorny stems can be hazardous to humans and animals alike and, along the shoreline, blackberry can out-compete native shrubs with deep roots that give the soil stability.

2012 Shoreline Cleanup

 

Shoreline Cleanup: South Dyke Road Riverfront  2011