Clean Up the Sturgeon 2010
The twelfth annual Sturgeon River cleanup event took place on Sunday May 16, 2010.
The committee that organized the event this year was chaired by BLESS member Nicholas Batchelor who did a superb job building a team that made the 2010 event a resounding success.
Along with a rebranding from Spruce Up the Sturgeon to Clean Up the Sturgeon, the 2010 event was expanded with two new initiatives. The River Edge Enhancement Project or "REEP" as it is affectionately known, came out in full force with plenty of saplings for participants to plant. The tree planting took place along the river behind Sturgen Point Villas. Enough volunteers showed up to plant trees that we should see a good sized forest growing behind the villas in the coming years.
Also new this year was an environmental fair along the river behind St. Albert Centre mall. BLESS was there with a display and the ever popular aquatic critter display very capably run by volunteer Christianne MacDonald. Also helping out with the BLESS display in between planting trees and picking up trash along the riverbank were Mat Lebel, Catherine MacDonald and Dave Burkhart. Many other BLESS volunteers helped out with the cleanup as well as on the organizing committee. Stuart and Rosalyn Loomis once again lent their time and organizational talents to the committee that produced a record turnout of participants.
Of course, the event would not be what it is without the generous contributions of local St. Albert sponsors. Special thanks go out to long standing sponsors Tim Hortons and Dairy Queen for their much appreciated refreshments and to St. Albert Centre whose friendly volunteers under the leadership of Olympia Trencevski and Shelly Dalrymple once again put on a free barbecue for those participating in the cleanup. Enthusiastic participation from a large contingent of folks at the City of St. Albert, particularly Kevin Veenstra who brought substantial resources out to help with the REEP planting, made the event a resounding success. Erin Gluck from the City of St. Albert has volunteered to chair next year's organizing committee and members of the team are confident Erin will organize yet another banner event to engage the good citizens of St. Albert as stewards of our river.
The following photos that document the fun and rewards enjoyed by those involved in Clean Up the Sturgeon 2010 are courtesy of Stuart Loomis, photographer extraordinaire.
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