Shoreline Cleanup at Cootes Paradise Marsh

By Sara Roberston, Wetland Restoration Intern, Royal Botanical Gardens

Early in November, a group of dedicated RBG Volunteers came out for a fun filled morning of garbage removal on the shores of Cootes Paradise located at the Royal Botanical Gardens. Garbage unfortunately follows higher water levels and frequent storms though out the spring and summer months accumulating on downstream shorelines. Every year in support of overall Great Lakes Protection and wanting to make the Cootes Paradise a garbage free sanctuary, RBG Staff and Volunteers head out by canoe or on foot scouring the shorelines and remove all the waste that has been washed downstream.  

Some of the items found during this shoreline cleanup were large plywood sheets, 2×4 wood beams, metal wheelbarrow, and a 12-foot-long plastic culvert that was wedged into the shoreline of Cootes western shore. Along with seemingly endless amounts of plastic water bottles and microplastics.  

To contribute to summarizing the inflowing trash issue and its effect on the Great lakes and ultimately the oceans, RBG is taking advantage of a new crowd sourcing garbage tracking App called Litterati that creates an online database of images and litter on a mapping system. This pool of crowd sourced information can be later accessed by anyone and combined to reveal sources and types of litter for community action. You can also find the Litterati App highlighted at our trailheads. 

Thank you to all who came out and joined in the fun and helped make the Cootes Marsh a cleaner and beautiful place! If you want to check out more events or environmental actions plan events in the Hamilton and RBG area, check out our website to stay informed and connected.