As part of its Flowing Histories of the Gorge Project, the Gorge Waterway Action Society (GWAS) hosts an event to remove glass from the shores while also exploring the history of the waterway.
“The summer staff at GWAS have spent the last few months trapping for invasive European Green Crabs along our shorelines. Recently, at our event at the Victoria Canoe and Kayak Club in Gorge Waterway Park, we noticed a large volume of glass on the beach and in the water. This glass is not characteristic of typical beach glass, with larger chunks and sharper edges, which can be a hazard on the beach,” said Abbey Heard, a GWAS nature interpreter.
This waterway has been an important site to the Lək̓wəŋən people since time immemorial. The Beach Glass Clean Up along the shores outside of the Victoria Canoe and Kayak Club in Gorge Waterway Park provides an opportunity for volunteers to directly see, connect to and disrupt a legacy of colonial pollution.
“After some research through our ongoing Flowing Histories of the Gorge Project, we learned that this site has served as a bottle-dumping ground for partying settlers since the 19th century. Our goal for this event is, of course, to clean hazardous debris from the beach, but also to learn more about the history of the Gorge.”
The event on Aug. 5 at 10 a.m. is free, but space is limited. Get tickets at Eventbrite.
