Shore clean up gathers ocean debris..................Pages

Styrofoam tops the list of problematic materials found to contaminate ocean’s environments, fi nds collectors

By Melissa Renwick Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Broken Group Islands, BC - For fi ve days, Rachelle Packwood removed mounds of Styrofoam, rope and tires that had collected along the remote shorelines of the Broken Group Islands in Barkley Sound. It was the fi rst beach clean-up Packwood had participated in and she hasn’t stopped talking about it since. “I feel really good about what we did,” she said. “Knowing how many tons of debris we took off that Broken Group is astounding. I have a sense of pride.” The initiative was part of the West Coast Vancouver Island Coastal Improvement Project, which supports large-scale marine clean-ups and derelict vessel removals along British Columbia’s coastline. Supported by the provincial government through the Clean Coast, Clean Waters Initiative Fund, the $2.5 million project is managed by the Coastal Restoration Society (CRS), in partnership with Surfrider Foundation Pacifi c Rim, Rugged Coast, Ocean Legacy, and the T’Sou-ke Nation. Ten First Nations, including Hesquiaht, Ahousaht, Tseshaht, and Ka:’yu:’k’t’h’/ Che:k:tles7et’h’, are also participating in the project. “These projects will remove tonnes of debris, create new jobs and provide much-needed support to local governments, Indigenous communities and other groups to address marine pollution,” stated George Heyman, minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy. Alys Hoyland is the Surfrider Pacifi c Rim youth coordinator and said that the nations’ involvement was “absolutely crucial to do this work well.” The nations bring knowledge of the historical and the cultural sensitivities of each site, she said. “It’s such an honour and privilege to learn from the beach keepers that we

Photo submitted by Rachel Packwood Over fi ve days in late August and September, a team scoured shorelines in the Broken Group Islands. were working with from Tseshaht,” said Hoyland. “And to use that knowledge to do the work in the right way.” Four other Tseshaht members participated in the clean up, including Packwood’s son, Jayden. The 23-year-old said he hadn’t visited his traditional homelands since he was eight years old and that it felt “amazing” to fi nally return. “I realized how beautiful it was and it made me want to go back again,” he said. By the end of the fi ve days, Jayden said he was “exhausted,” but “fulfi lled.” Hannah Gentes is the CRS Indigenous initiatives coordinator and said it’s important for the nations to have sovereignty over the work that’s being done in their traditional territories. “It’s really powerful to have the descendants of the original stewards of these lands come out and do some modern modes of stewardship,” she said. “It’s a really beautiful opportunity for community members to get together and be on the land together.” Over 90 tonnes of debris have been removed from the coast between the Brooks Peninsula and the Broken Group Islands this summer – and the project isn’t over yet, said Hoyland. “It’s the biggest clean-up that we’ve ever seen on this coast,” she said. “Getting the plastic out of water and off the beaches gives immediate and short-term relief to those ecosystems. But mostly, it’s important for data collection. We need to know what’s polluting our beaches so that we’re able to do a better job of preventing that pollution in the fi rst place.” The data is used to infl uence policy and create better regulation over the use of certain materials in marine environments, such as Styrofoam, said Hoyland. Styrofoam is a highly toxic substance widely used in the marine aquaculture industry. It breaks down into tiny pieces that are almost impossible to remove from the environment, described Hoyland. A 2020 report from the province titled What We Heard on Marine Debris in B.C said many participants suggested Styrofoam makes up a “large proportion of marine debris.” “Industry is moving towards alternatives to unprotected polystyrene docks; however, legacy issues of exposed StyrofoamTM remain even as new ones are being installed,” read the report. “The aquaculture industry alone has over 400 fl oats made from exposed StyrofoamTM that would need to be replaced and recycled in the coming years.” Currently, the project is in the debris processing phase where various types of material are prepared for recycling and data collection, said Hoyland. Surfrider Pacifi c Rim has been doing remote beach clean-ups on the west coast of Vancouver Island for the past fi ve years, said Hoyland. “The sad thing about beach cleaning is that it just treats the symptoms, it doesn’t stop the pollution,” she said. “Every year we go back, and every year there’s more stuff .” Packwood shared a similar sentiment and said, “it can’t just be a one-time thing.” “It has to be ongoing,” she said. “Once the north winds come through, it pushes all of the debris into the backside of the islands.” Freezers, fridges, and legacy debris from the Japanese tsunami were some of the items Packwood said she found during her time on the islands. “It was super eye opening,” she said. “It’s really aff ecting our ocean and all of its inhabitants.” As Packwood refl ected on her time on the Broken Group Islands, she described it as “emotional.” “I’m super passionate about my own territorial lands,” she said.

Eff ort near Zeballos part of a 280-kilometre debris collection initiative for the west coast of Vancouver Island

By Sam Laskaris Ha-Shilth-Sa Contributor

Ehatis, BC – The shoreline of a Nuuchah-nulth First Nation is considerably cleaner these days. That’s because a massive six-day debris cleanup was held on the shores of the Ehattesaht First Nation recently. The garbage-collecting venture was part of a larger Clean Coast Clean Waters Initiative fund made possible through the B.C. government. The entire project spanned about 280 kilometres of mostly remote coastline and is believed to be the province’s largest marine debris cleanup ever. A total of $2.5 million was pledged to the program. Funding was administered through The Coastal Restoration Society and the program was dubbed the West Coast Vancouver Island Coastal Improvement Project. This specifi c program is also part of a larger one in which the provincial government released $9.5 million in funding in 2021 to go towards shoreline debris cleanup and derelict vessel removal. The cleanup on the shores of Ehattesaht First Nation began on Aug. 31 and continued until Sept. 5. Shorebird Expeditions, a company based in Tahsis, was hired to lead the cleanup eff ort utilizing its 22-foot customized aluminum landing craft. Besides shoreline cleanup eff orts, Shorebird Expeditions is also a boat charter service catering to hiking and kayaking in the Nootka Sound area. Sarah Steinbach (Killins), the owner of Shorebird Expeditions, said her company had been hired back in June to do a shore cleanup on Nuchatlaht Tribe territory. The Ehattesaht cleanup was the second of two phases for Steinbach’s company. “It’s an amazing amount of garbage we’re fi nding on the beaches,” Steinbach said of the Ehattesaht eff orts.

Photo by Sarah Steinbach A six-day shoreline cleanup was recently held on Ehattesaht territory. The First Nation’s members were among those hired to clean up their shoreline waters. The most surprising fi nd? “We found a tin boat that was completely mangled,” Steinbach said, adding she believed the boat would have originally been around 14 feet long. “It was in two pieces. And it looked like somebody took it and scrunched it into a ball.” Besides fi shing equipment, aquaculture barrels and plenty of plastic bottles, the cleanup crew also found substantial amounts of Styrofoam, that had presumably been dislodged from docks. Steinbach said she believes the Styrofoam had been in the water for extended periods as weather and time had torn it apart into small pieces. “The crew does all the work by hand,” Steinbach said. “And you have these massive Styrofoam logs in pieces. Quite often the crew is on their hands and knees fi lling up burlap sacks with it.” Steinbach added cleaners would fi ll the boat two to three times per day with debris. “You don’t really see it from the beach,” she said. “It is unbelievable how much debris there is.” Steinbach said she believes some previous shore cleanups have been done in the area thanks to various volunteers. “I don’t think it’s been done on this scale before,” she said. “A lot of this stuff has been here for a while.” Besides the fact the shorelines are cleaner now, there’s also another positive. The majority of the debris will not end up in a landfi ll. Steinbach said it will be transported via representatives from the Rugged Coast Research Society, a partner in the cleanup work, to Gold River. “Over a dozen people will be sorting it out,” she said. “And over 80 per cent of this debris will be recycled.” A total of 14 organizations and First Nations are taking part in the entire project. The goal was to create more than 300 job opportunities. A total of eight individuals helped out with the Ehattesaht cleanup. Six members from the First Nation were among those hired to help out. Kyle Harry, an Ehattesaht member who is hired to do odd jobs for his First Nation, worked as part of the cleanup crew for four days. “It’s a good thing to get out there and clean (the shoreline),” he said. “That’s our front lawn.” Like Steinbach, Harry was surprised to see just how much debris was on the shoreline. “The bigger beaches had barely anything,” he said. “But the small beaches had quite a bit. The current goes into the smaller beaches.” As for his most surprising fi nd, Harry said he discovered a liquor bottle, almost a quarter full still, that contained 8 per cent alcohol. The only English word on the bottle was Japan. All other wording was in Japanese. “I think it probably did fl oat in from Japan,” Harry said. Steinbach deemed the Ehattesaht cleanup a success. “It defi nitely is something that brings the community together,” she said. Steinbach was also pleased to see some youth from the First Nation were among those who were hired to take part in the cleanup. “One of the most important things is getting kids involved,” she said. “This is a great opportunity for them. They’re going to be the stewards of this land. They need to learn how important it is to recycle.”

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