Jim Kolisnyk of Chilliwack was furious.
He was hiking in the back country of the Chilliwack River Valley last Sunday when he came across a truckload of garbage dumped down a steep embankment above Slesse Creek.
“I’m a hunter who loves the bush,” said Kolisnyk.
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That someone would toss trash over a pristine creek not far from a fish hatchery, is nothing short of disgusting to him.
“I was furious. I went through bags and bags of this old garbage to get an address. It was pretty gross,” he said.
There was an old chair, a toilet, buckets and truck canopies all tangled in a huge pile of garbage.
Kolisnyk decided to go the extra mile.
He found an address amongst the debris that led him to a home on Interprovincial Highway in Abbotsford, where the garbage came from. He even managed to track down the owner of the property.
“I wanted to offer him a chance to get it cleaned up before I called the B.C. Conservation Officer Service,” he said. “After all, it’s you and me who are going to pay for this cleanup as taxpayers.”
An emergency cleanup of garbage near a waterway could cost more than $2,000.
But the person who Kolisnyk tracked down denied outright he was the garbage-dumper, and was angry about being contacted.
Kolisnyk said he is following it up, nonetheless, after making reports to both RCMP and the conservation service about the illegal dump site.
There is history of dumping in the valley that has spurred elected officials and volunteers alike into taking action.
@chwkjourno
jfeinberg@theprogress.com
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