Excessive trail trash inspires Alberta hikers to organize cleanup event

From straws and bottles to bags and tissue paper, hikershave likely noticed that Alberta's famous forests and mountain trailshavestarted to look dishearteninglydifferent in recent weeks.

Many arestrewn with garbage, and Parks Canada representative Jed Cochrane toldCBCNewslast month that park staff have also noted a lot more trash that is probably due to increased use and COVID-19 concerns.

Luckily, a couple of Alberta hikersareco-ordinating volunteers to pick up litter from the province's parks and mountain trailsand even have prizes donated from local businesses to reward the effort.

Sarah Kuindersma and Glen Gorrienoticed a higher volume ofpeople hitting the trailsthis summer, and a corresponding increase in litter.

To keep the parks they love pristine, they organized the Kananaskis and Canmore Klean Up Event an initiative that will send 60 volunteercleanup crews to 60 Alberta trails fromAug. 6 to 10.

They have around 220 participants so far, and are hoping for even more. With 400 prizes donated from local businesses, they have a lot to give away.

"What's been really cool is just how many people actually want to help out with this event,"Kuindersmasaid."That's just been overwhelming, the support."

Tissue paper, discarded food littering trails

Avid hikers are generally very cognizant of their garbage, Gorrie andKuindersmasaid.

The culprits likely make up only asmall percentage of park visitors, and are probably less-experienced hikers who are disregardingthe unspoken ruleto clean up after themselves on the trails.

By deciding tocleanup after others, Gorrie andKuindersma are also putting that rule aside. But it's for the greater good that of the parks.

"We have to make sure that the parks stay open, and that's our concern," Gorrie said.

Gorrie said he and Kuindersma have mostly found tissue and toilet paper on the trails.

But discarded food such as orange and banana peelscan also present a problem.

These will not simply decompose. Rather, they canattract wildlife to the paths including bears and with very serious consequences.

"Unfortunately, it's the bear that gets put down, and it's the human that's causing the problem,"Kuindersma said.

"We want to just be mindful that we are leaving no trace. This isn't our home and unfortunately, we are leaving everything behind."

Garbage is not park staff responsibility, hiker says

Kuindersmasaid shedoesn't mind cleaning up some garbage left behind; after all,the wind has occasionally snatched wrappers from her own hands.

But what she does find aggravatingis filling bags of trash on the way up a trail and having to do it all over again on the way back down, her work undone.

"It's just disrespectful to our beautiful parks,"Kuindersmasaid. "It's about morals and ethics, and I just wish that Canadians would do us proud."

As for the suggestion they sometimes hear that park staff should be the ones cleaning up,Kuindersmais firm: it's the hiker's mess.

"We're the users, we're the ones who are bringing it in," she said."It's not the park's responsibility. It's ours."

The best way to encourage people to be respectful,Kuindersmasaid, is to lead by example. With 220 people involved,the initiative is a big one.

And if you were looking for something to do this weekend, she has an idea.

"Please come join us," she said.

You can find out more about theKananaskis and Canmore Klean Up Event, or register to be a volunteer, on Facebook.