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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
October 7, 2022
MOIRA RIVER CLEAN-UP WITH BAYSIDE SECONDARY SCHOOL
Last week, Quinte Conservation, along with grade 11 and 12 students from Bayside Secondary School’s Environmental & Resource Management and Environmental Science classes participated in a Moira River clean-up.
Students who volunteered for the activity were enthusiastic to put their canoe skills and safety certifications to good use as they launched from Victoria Harbour in Belleville and paddled over a short stretch of the river pulling out garbage.
Greg Stephens, a teacher with Bayside Secondary School says, “I was eager to get my students out to help clean up a small part of the Moira River, I remember students doing this 20 or more years ago, it feels good to see it still happening."
This much-anticipated clean-up was planned for the fall when the river’s water is much lower and easier to navigate. Some students loaded trash into their canoes, others patrolled the river in waders, and the rest assisted from the shore as they pulled garbage up onto the land. Brad McNevin, Quinte Conservation’s CAO said, “River and shoreline clean-up days are great opportunities to get our youth and community out and involved in helping to clean up our waterways. It’s such a great way for youth to give back to their community, their environment, and all the animals, fish, and wildlife that depend on it.”
Over the course of the day, students filled many garbage bags, which were generously provided by the City of Belleville, along with other supplies and garbage pick-up services. Flynn Goldthorpe, a student with Bayside Secondary School said, “I came out today to help clean up the river and to help the community a bit. I enjoyed my time in the canoe. The craziest things I hauled to shore were a shopping cart and a tire.”
By the end of the clean-up, the student volunteers had filled a pallet with garbage and debris they pulled from the water. McNevin adds, “Unfortunately, it is not the responsibility of any one specific agency to make sure our waterways stay clean, it is all of our responsibility, and it is my hope that community cleanups like this one not only inspire our youth to be great caretakers of our natural resources but that it also inspires the surrounding community to do the same!”
Quinte Conservation is a community-based environmental protection agency. It serves 18 municipalities in the watersheds of the Moira, Napanee and Salmon Rivers and Prince Edward County. It provides cost-effective environmental expertise and leadership. Quinte Conservation’s main goal is to create a sustainable ecosystem where people and nature live in harmony. More information about Quinte Conservation is available at www.quinteconservation.ca.
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For more information contact:
Maya Navrot, Outreach and Stewardship Coordinator
(613) 968-3434 ext. 131
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