This one is going to be particularly fun folks

9 am to Noon this Sunday

Meet at the entrance to the RBG parking lot Old Guelph Road

See Green Arrow  http://goo.gl/maps/td47x

4 Televisions, a mattress, a couch, many buckets, lots of smaller items.  I could talk about the 41 tires but we got those out last week

Sadly this area has been used in the past as a dumping ground.  We have proven time and again that garbage attracts more garbage.  May have taken 20 years for this mess to accumulate.

So we'll get it clean and assign a steward to keep it clean.  In an era where you no longer have to pay when you discard tires, bulk pickup is done by the city for free, and people in general care more about the environment -  this may well be enough.  

But we're about comprehensive long-term solutions which is another way of saying "stewardship" - so if it's not enough we will not hesitate to up our efforts up to and including survelliance cameras in order to make sure that the Corner Brook Valley is treated with respect.

Come help us effect change.

As always gloves ad great people to work with are provided.  If you don't have proper boots let me know and I can bring some for you.

Cheers Alan

IMG_0276.JPG

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Comment by FixOurWorld on November 22, 2013 at 2:11pm

This one is going to be particularly fun folks

9 am to Noon this Sunday

Meet at the entrance to the RBG parking lot Old Guelph Road

See Green Arrow  http://goo.gl/maps/td47x

4 Televisions, a mattress, a couch, many buckets, lots of smaller items.  I could talk about the 41 tires but we got those out last week

Sadly this area has been used in the past as a dumping ground.  We have proven time and again that garbage attracts more garbage.  May have taken 20 years for this mess to accumulate.

So we'll get it clean and assign a steward to keep it clean.  In an era where you no longer have to pay when you discard tires, bulk pickup is done by the city for free, and people in general care more about the environment -  this may well be enough.  

But we're about comprehensive long-term solutions which is another way of saying "stewardship" - so if it's not enough we will not hesitate to up our efforts up to and including survelliance cameras in order to make sure that the Corner Brook Valley is treated with respect.

Come help us effect change.

As always gloves ad great people to work with are provided.  If you don't have proper boots let me know and I can bring some for you.

Cheers Alan

IMG_0276.JPG

304 KB

Comment by FixOurWorld on September 24, 2013 at 5:40am

We did it!!  That huge tangle of nylon cord - enough of it to fill over 40 garbage bags has been extracted from Spencer Creek after I don't know how many years of unraveling. 

Check out this video by the Spectator's Cathie Coward.

 

http://www.thespec.com/videopopup/4119224?popUp=true

 

Below is an image of the front page of this morning's Spec.

There is something very cool about having Tys - the first person I ever talked to about starting up a Watershed Group and our first supporter side by side with Darko who came out to join us for the first time yesterday.

In case you can't make it out the caption reads:

Tys Theysmeyer, left, and Darko Baljak struggle to pull out some of the thousands of metres of nylon cord discovered in a tangled mess in Spencer Creek.  Since July, members of the Stewards of Cootes Watershed have hauled three tons of debris from the creek.  They hope to finish before the annual chinook salmon run begins in the next few weeks.

It took Isadora and Steve and Debbie and Charles and Gunther and Mat and Debbie again and Mark and Tys and Joe and Darko and myself a total of 60 hours of hard-fought effort to get the creek to give up this mess, with support from dozens who were cleaning up all around us as we wrestled with this tangle.

It is a very simple premise that underlies our approach to cleaning up the watershed - not a single piece of garbage gets left behind. But it leads to really fulfilling results where we put in whatever effort is needed and find solutions to the challenges we encounter to get the job done. 

This one was particularly sweet. It really is a thrill to get to work along side you folks.

 

Cheers Alan

Comment by FixOurWorld on August 24, 2013 at 4:58pm

an Hansell	Aug 23 (1 day ago)
to bcc: me

Hi All,

Down to our last 3 chances to clean up in-water for the season. If we get rain next week this might be our very last chance

Let us know your availabililty Sunday morning or afternoon by filling in the Doodle Poll.

 

 http://doodle.com/vkpqfrb4w956anp5

Comment by FixOurWorld on August 24, 2013 at 4:58pm

 

There have been many in-water clean ups over the past 15 years by many groups in lower Spencer, all of which has brought us to within a dozen tires a couple of shopping carts, and assorted odds and ends of getting this stretch of Spencer cleaner than it has been in 140 years!!! Come be involved in this great accomplishment

 

Cheers Alan

 

Picture is of a Natural Skimmer that has set up in Spencer at the Cootes Drive Bridge.  Better to catch it here than have it spread out over the Nature Sanctuary.

Natural Skimmer Spencer at Cootes DriveJPG.JPG 3

Comment by FixOurWorld on June 29, 2013 at 10:58am

Hi All,

The Ministry of Natural Resources through the Hamilton Conservation Authority has granted us special permission to enter the water to go after litter, tires, shopping carts and such.  Drives me crazy, so let's go get them.

We won't be going out this weekend or the Civic Weekend, but we will be having some real fun in the creeks on every other Sunday morning this summer from 8 to 11 am before it gets hot.  We get to use industrial strength ratchet pullers ( come-alongs ) for the stuck stuff - my favourite part.

You'll need to sign up with me ahead of time. We'll be working in a small crew, I'm capping it at 6 Volunteers.  Not everyone needs to go into the water, and in some cases rubber boots will work, though we have a lovely selection of hip waders in whatever size you need.  Those in the water will typically go knee deep, but sometimes hip deep.  

Our first outing will be Sunday July 7th. We'll be working Tiffany Creek starting below the falls and Ancaster Creek right below Sherman Falls.( well not right below the falls but you get what I mean)  You can commit on a week by week basis but if a regular crew of 6 forms then we'll just go with that.

So as the man on the television says, "act Now and be one of the first 6 callers". Please tell me your shoe size.

I'm away starting this Sunday until Saturday July 6th so you may not hear back from me right away.

Everyone enjoy the kickoff to their Summer.

Cheers Alan

Comment by FixOurWorld on June 18, 2013 at 5:29pm

Thanks again Everyone for coming out last night.

I wanted to thank everyone for coming out last night.  We had a wonderful turnout and a special thanks to Tys Theysmeyer, Joanne & Allan Tunnicliffe, and Sheila O'Neal for all the great information they shared with us.  A special thanks to Russ Powers and his right hand Arlene Vanderbeek for their hospitality in providing the venue.

As a group we are out there week after week with our heads down, cleaning up the watershed.  I think it was time that we lifted our heads with pride and took stock of all we are accomplishing out there.  We've done a lot and I have this distinct feeling that we are laying the groundwork for something special, so as was the main message last night - thank you.

Janet Leach has pointed out that 22 events and we have yet to be rained out - so it seems that Mother Nature is also on our side.  Whoops I probably just jinxed it.  

On Sunday the 23rd we will be out there again from 8 to 11 am at Princess Point on the Desjardins Trail.  This is our last shot this season at those menacing and dangerous shards of plastic fouling the shoreline.  For July and August we will be jumping around the watershed fishing garbage right out of the creeks..

If you are able to join us Sunday, please do come out.  It would be great to take one last big whack at it.

Again with my Thanks,

Alan

Comment by FixOurWorld on June 5, 2013 at 7:01am

his week's cleanup is Sunday June 9th 8:00 - 11:00 am - join us for coffee or beers afterwards (depends which way the winds are blowing come Sunday)

More fun helping the environment than anyone should be allowed to have.  ( The secret is the great bunch of volunteers that we have )

We'll be working along Desjardins ( Waterfront ) Trail, about halfway between the Princess Point parking lot and the Fishway

See Green Arrow on the map for the meeting spot: http://goo.gl/maps/Nynmq

Comment by FixOurWorld on June 5, 2013 at 7:01am

Stewards of Cootes Watershed 

Volunteer Appreciation Night

 

Monday June 17th  7:00 to 8:30

 

Dundas Town Hall

60 Main Street, Dundas

- We'll be hearing about our significant accomplishments this Spring

-Launching the next phase of our efforts in the watershed - Monthly Stewardship

- Hearing about the recovery seen to date in Cootes from Tys Theysmeyer - Head of Natural Lands for the RBG

Even if your haven't been out on one of our cleanups, please join us just to see what we've been up to

Please feel free to brings your friends

More details to follow in the next couple of days

_______________________________________________________

Comment by FixOurWorld on June 5, 2013 at 7:01am

Stewards of Cootes Watershed 

Volunteer Appreciation Night

 

Monday June 17th  7:00 to 8:30

 

Dundas Town Hall

60 Main Street, Dundas

- We'll be hearing about our significant accomplishments this Spring

-Launching the next phase of our efforts in the watershed - Monthly Stewardship

- Hearing about the recovery seen to date in Cootes from Tys Theysmeyer - Head of Natural Lands for the RBG

Even if your haven't been out on one of our cleanups, please join us just to see what we've been up to

Please feel free to brings your friends

More details to follow in the next couple of days

_______________________________________________________

Comment by FixOurWorld on May 10, 2013 at 4:55pm

A reminder that this week's cleanup is on Saturday not Sunday in deference to all of our Mothers.  We could use your help.  A fun little section on Desjardins Canal - meet where Olympic Drive crosses the canal on the east side  see Green Arrow http://goo.gl/maps/KusHA  From 1:00 to 4:00pm

Desjardins Postcard.jpg 53K   View   Share   Download

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