Booze, Coffee Cups and a Report Card

Jun 7, 2017 @ 08:07

 

Highway 101 was a total surprise — almost as an afterthought we took it on. People who travel that part of the highway daily thought that it did not look bad. So we started at the turnoff to Hawk and expected a leisurely ‘walk in the park back to Wawa’; after all, it was a sunny day, the wind at our backs, birds were chirping and we had enough energy left from the Highway 17 cleanup.

How wrong that impression was! In six mornings, four of us pulled 30 bags of soggy trash, plus umpteen leaf bags of plastics (water bottles) and 405 beer cans plus 2 1/2 cases of alcoholic bottles out of trenches and embankments totaling a value of $46.30. This doesn’t count the horrible mess at the load check at Ghost Lake. The closer we came to Wawa, the messier it got. Along Wawa Lake is the most dangerous place to clean: the shoulders are narrow and the ditches are steep and rocky. Just the day after we almost made it to William Teddy Park (rain was in the forecast for 4 days), a ‘schmuck’ lost a big bag of trash towards the end of Wawa Lake and the ravens got into it. With curses under my breath, I picked it up; from paper plates, cans, wrappings, bottle tops and potato peels. Amongst the interesting things we find: coffee cup lids with names; even a MHS report card (a bad one, I would have burned it, not left it where anybody could see). You think it is cool to throw your trash in our outdoors? This is not a garbage can!

To all those who leave their names proudly emblazoned on their coffee cups and report cards in the ditch, I say, “Austin, Chloe, Darcy and Justin; shame on you! You are fortunate to live in this great country, and yet you have no respect for yourself and the land. Where is your pride to be Canadian? Enough finger wagging! But think about it.

On the brighter side, I’d like to say ’Thanks’ to Monty McIntyre who stopped and gave me money and encouragement. Many thanks to all the other donors, big and small. And to the Algoma News and Brenda’s website (Wawa-news.com) who support and publicize our efforts every spring.

Until next time, Karin

Karin Grundt
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