SUBMITTED PHOTO
The volunteers with Grasslands Naturalists collected five garbage bags of litter on Thursday morning as they cleaned up the area at the end of Ranchlands Boulevard.
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On Earth Day, volunteers with the Grasslands Naturalists were picking up garbage at the end of Ranchlands Boulevard in the northeast corner of the city.
“There were five of us and we spent not quite an hour and got a nice pile of trash,” said Martha Munz Gue, one of the volunteers. “It’s the farthest northeast you can go in Medicine Hat and the wind blows all the stuff right there at the end of the road. So, this is what we do every spring and fall, we clean up that area.”
The volunteers were able to fill five garbage bags on Thursday morning. Munz Gue adds they came prepared for the cold weather and it didn’t stop them from cleaning up the community on Thursday. She says she put her winter coat over her spring jacket and as soon as she put her winter coat on, it started to snow.
The City of Medicine Hat is encouraging the community to take part in Earth Day cleaning activities such as the Grasslands Naturalists cleanup on Thursday.
“This year, we’re hopeful residents and families will take a few garbage bags from home, as well as some plastic gloves, and help pick up litter and other garbage that has ended up in our community natural areas and boulevards. That’s typically where we see the most litter,” said Jeff Quinlan, parks technician with parks and recreation.
Quinlan adds in previous years the city has hosted a litter blitz event, but due to COVID-19 protocols he is encouraging people to still go out and clean up the community on their own. He believes a number of people will take the opportunity to get out of their house.
“I think a lot of people are sort of a little stir crazy, and being outside and enjoying nature and helping nature out a bit is one thing that can hopefully be done safely,” he said.
Munz Gue adds there will be another Earth Day event on Saturday at 9:30 a.m. when the South East Alberta Watershed Alliance leads a cleanup of the pond behind Canadian Tire. She says the pond and surrounding area has saplings of the Russian Olive tree, which is a locally invasive ornamental tree. She says they’ve removed the Russian Olive tree from other areas in the city.
Last month kicked off the “Adopt a Pond” initiative, which encourages people to adopt a pond and pick up the trash around it. As of now, 18 ponds or riparian areas have been adopted involving 40 individuals, says Munz Gue. She says individuals, families and groups can adopt a pond by calling SEAWA, which will connect them with her.
The city is happy to see the community step up and hopes to see more cleanup initiatives throughout the weekend.
“We just have such a beautiful city. I moved here five years ago and was right away really impressed with the natural areas and the trail system we have here in Medicine Hat,” said Quinlan. “It’s just nice to hear people care about it and they’re doing their part to pick up litter and it’s greatly appreciated.”
