Over Earth Day Weekend, the Friends of Kootenay Lake Stewardship Society (FOKLSS) will be hosting two beach cleanups. These cleanups are free and open to the public. On Saturday, April 21st at Crawford Creek Beach from 10 am – 12 pm and on Sunday, April 22nd at Sandspit Beach at Kokanee Creek Park from 10 am - 12 pm. All are welcome to attend this event to comb the beaches for trash. There will be refreshments provided as well as arts and crafts.
In conjunction with the Beach Cleanups, FOKLSS is hosting the Trash to Art Challenge. Artists are encouraged to sign up and attend a beach cleanup. After the cleanup, artists will have one month to create an art installation from the trash collected. The first prize winner will receive $500 and there will be honorariums for others. Sign-up is mandatory and can be done by emailing nina@friendsofkootenaylake.ca for an application form. This is a great way for artists to engage with environmental stewardship for Kootenay Lake and further the dissemination of knowledge regarding trash disposal in the Lake.
Last year on the one-kilometre Sandspit Beach at Kokanee Creek Park FOKLSS, along with volunteers and the Friends of West Kootenay Parks, collected approximately 200lbs of garbage, much of the volume being Styrofoam. The majority of Styrofoam collected is presumed to be from old docks on Kootenay Lake. This highlights the need for the continuation of events like these to help clean up the beaches as well as spread education and aw