Despite the fact it was a long weekend, a group of volunteers pitched in to clean up Pyramid Lake Beach, Aug. 3.
Leading the charge was a small group with GO International, a Canadian company that provides work, travel and volunteer experiences around the world.
The group had just arrived in Jasper from Banff and will be volunteering in the park for the next two weeks.
Volunteers removed about one garbage bag of rubbish from the beach, significantly less than past cleanups, explained Kevin Gedling, a partnering engagement officer for Parks Canada.
In May, a similar cleanup behind the Jasper-Yellowhead Museum and Archives netted about 12 garbage bags, he said.
The cleanup was part of similar events taking place across several national parks this week and was organized in conjunction with the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup that helps organize cleanup days across the country.
Supported by the Vancouver Aquarium and the World Wildlife Fund, anyone can volunteer as a site coordinator or lend a helping hand as a participant.
In Jasper, three sites are currently waiting for a site coordinator and volunteers, including Lake Annette, Lac Beauvert and Happy Creek, east of Pocahontas.
Since 2003, more than 400,000 participants have removed nearly one million kilograms of garbage from Canadian shorelines, according to the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup.
To organize a cleanup day or to participate, visit www.shorelinecleanup.ca.
Paul Clarke [email protected]
