MARINE DEBRIS CLEANUP at the CHAINED ISLANDS August 12-17 2016
Not associated with the Japanese Tsunami cleanup limited to the outside West Coast, this cleanup was organized by BC Marine Trails as part of their mandate to develop campsites as part of the BC Marine Trail. During a survey of the east side of Vancouver Island, a good campsite on the fourth Chained Island was found to have a massive debris load. With the only viable landing beach on any of the islands, it had been the site of a cabin and many fishing parties. Unfortunately, this is a rarely kayaked area – Seymour Narrows is to the south, windy Discovery Channel west and north (and then lower and upper Oksello Rapids to get over the top of Quadra Island to visit the Octopus Islands). The Bay itself is ok with some nice beaches, an old orchard and a trail over to Octopus Islands, and a great swimming lake.
Five happy volunteers met at Granite Bay on Quadra, our launch site. We paddled over to the campsite for the next four nights on the Chained Islands. The beach, unfortunately, dries to steep rock and is heavy cobble the lower the tide. There is a great flat area for 3 tents and several other flat areas around the old cabin site.
The place was a mess with decades of accumulated garbage. The most prominent debris were Styrofoam tree planter blocks – at least 100 were scattered all over. There was also the remains of an old dock. When the tide receded, half the rocky beach was covered with the remains of an entire boat – fiberglass housings, motor, mattresses, carpets, metal, and hundreds of shards of glass. It didn’t take long for everything to be picked up and bagged in the five super sacs we had. The dock was partially dismantled and hauled up on some logs.
One day we paddled over to Ashlar Creek, another BC Marine Trails campsite, and then explored all of the bay. Two hiked up to the lake for a swim. There was at least one good campsite on the north shore at the site of old orchard.
I was walking around the island and discovered on the point, a cache of more Styrofoam tree holders – this time more than 150 plus other debris including an old refrigerator. All the blocks were strung on a rope and floated over because of high tide. Everything was bagged at the main beach.
On September 17, a hired barge picked up all the debris with a large group of volunteers. It unloaded everything at Menzies Bay, NW of Campbell River. The $2,000 cost of the barge was raised by a fundraiser on the BC Marine Trails website.