Beach clean-up yields nearly one ton of debris

Volunteers from Surfrider Foundation Vancouver Island Chapter removed about 2,180 pounds of marine debris from Vargas Island this past weekend."We removed more garbage from Vargas Island than any beach we've held a clean-up at over the last five years," says chapter chairperson Lucas Harris in a recent media release.Harris believes the success of this clean-up illustrates the level of accomplishment volunteer efforts can achieve in terms of beautifying coastlines."We filled a one ton moving van with Styrofoam, marine buoys, rope and plastic bottles," says Harris."By no means did we collect all of the debris, but we hope the event helps to raise awareness about the state of our beaches."The cleaning of Vargas, near Tofino, is part of the chapter's second-annual Combing the Coast clean-up initiative.BC Parks and Tofino Water Taxi helped with the clean-up and provided transportation for volunteers participating in the three-day event.Read more here »