Volunteers from throughout the community and Southern Alberta gathered in the hamlet of Dead Man’s Flats on Saturday (Aug. 20) to do their part in the ongoing cleanup following the 2013 flood.
The community event, organized by Friends of Kananaskis Country with the permission of the Municipal District of Bighorn, featured a group of 25 volunteers who cleared the banks of debris for 150 metres on either side of Pigeon Creek from the bridge to the river’s bend.
“It’s one of those projects where the whole goal of the project is to engage the community,” said Derek Ryder, Friends of Kananaskis Country chair and director of communications.
“Serving and making a difference is always very important to me. This is an act of nature that none of us could have anticipated, but we’re preserving, we’re preserving the trees,” local volunteer said Marg Garrett. “It’s such a beautiful day to be outside, that means a lot to me, plus I’m sharing this occasion with my brother and sister-in-law, which becomes a family event, making a difference. I’m delighted to be here.”
Fiona Koether, who lives in Exshaw, said her favourite recreation is hiking and she enjoys giving back to the community.
“It feels good to help with looking after the environment, especially the hiking areas,” she said.
The cleanup project also drew people from outside the Bow Valley to help remove the debris.
“This has been an eyesore ever since the flood, it’s time to get it cleaned up,” said Sherwood Park resident Vernon Gee. Gee and his wife, Kathy Dowding, own a condo in the Pigeon Creek complex and were immediately on board to help after hearing about the planned cleanup.
A group from the Calgary Weekend Hikers club also come out to aid in the cleanup.
“It was posted on (the club’s) website and we just want to give back,” said Terry Allam, a member of the club. “We’re hikers and so it’s just nice to get out and do some cleanup.”
Volunteers removed pallets, plastic, metal, and Styrofoam as well as a few stranger finds, including an electric hair clipper with attachments, most of a guitar, and a 150psi air compressor which took three volunteers an hour to remove.
The event was supported by several local businesses such as the Mad Dog Café, Bighorn Motel and Husky, which provided a free hot dog and can of pop to the volunteers. Thunderstone Quarry will haul away debris collected by the volunteers.
The flood in 2013 caused the Pigeon Creek to break its banks, covering the area on either side of the creek with approximately a foot and half of water and two and a half feet of deposited material, washing out the entrance road and damaging some homes in the area.
