It's that time of year again!!

Spring is almost upon us, the weather is warming up, and that means it's almost time to polish up the paddles and hiking boots.

Kevin Callan and I are once again proud to announce that we will be hosting The Great Wilderness Cleanup 2009 volunteer cleanup event. It has become a tradition that the main event be held during Mother's Day Weekend (in honour of Mother Earth) which falls this year on May 9-10. Those who are unable to participate that weekend may choose another time that best suits their needs.

If you're not already familiar with this event, the basic idea is to get a group of friends, family or co-workers together, choose a name for your group, pick a favourite spot in the outdoors and spend a fun weekend canoeing, hiking, backpacking, or camping while picking up the trash along your way that thoughtless others have left behind. It's a great way to spend quality time with people you care about and do a great thing at the same time!

****PLEASE NOTE: ALL VOLUNTEERS WILL BE PARTICIPATING AT THEIR OWN RISKS. PLEASE BE CAREFUL AND BE AWARE OF ANY DANGEROUS SITUATIONS OR COLD TEMPERATURES!!!****

I would love to see some new faces this year along with our devoted regulars. Maybe we will have a prize for the group with the most first-time volunteers... Just remember, this event is open to the entire WORLD!! Last year we had 4 countries involved, including Canada, USA, UK and Brazil. Literally hundreds of volunteers participated. Let's make it even bigger and better this year!!!! This planet has become a dirty place, so let's get together and help clean her up!!

For further information and to join, please e-mail me at [email protected] . Please let me know how many are in your group, the name of your group and the place you will be cleaning up.

Together we are making a real difference.

The Saskatoon Canoe Club (link mentioned above) will help clean up the South Saskatchewan River near Saskatoon and will likely be coordinating their efforts with the Meewasin Valley Authority (www.meewasin.com).

Another group yet to be named will be cleaning up the Obatanga PP and the surrounding Crown Land.

Way to go!!

Hey everyone!

Kevin and I will again be giving away a bunch of prizes for "best" this and "most" that. Our grand prize will be a Nova Craft canoe again...but....this time Kevin came up with the brilliant idea to give it away to the "Best Group Story Written" and he'll have Explore Magazine publish it online.

So get your e-pen and e-paper ready. We can't wait to read them!

Thanks once again to my employer, Canada Post, for a generous donation in support of our event so that we may purchase the canoe!

It's just 3 short weeks away! I just got home from splurging on a bit of new gear, so I'm all excited now.

A few more groups from the Ottawa and Quebec regions have signed up. How about you?

Oh, did I mention that the winner(s) of the Nova Craft Cronje canoe being given away as Grand Prize for the "Best Group Story Written" will pick up their canoe and get their photo taken with Kevin Callan at the Canoe Museum in Peterborough?

I'm busy getting ready for our cleanup weekend in the Kawartha Highlands Provincial Park here in Ontari-ari-ario. Kevin Callan and I will be leading a group this coming weekend (May 9-10) around Gold, Cold and Poplar Lakes.

TonyBrazil (Tony Osse), our Brazil leader, led his cleanup this past weekend. If it's anything like last year, it will be a great success.

People athttp://www.songofthepaddle.co.uk are getting ready for their cleanups, too. They all did a phenomenal job last year - I can't wait to hear about this year's trips.

This year our grand prize Nova Craft Cronje canoe will be given to the "Best Group Story Written". The winner(s) will have their photo taken with renowned expert, Kevin Callan. The only catch is that the winner(s) must be able to pick up their canoe at the Canoe Museum in Peterborough, Ontario.

I will be heading up early Friday, so get your info to me at [email protected] before then, if you can. Just a few days left!!

I can't wait to read all the stories! Good luck and be safe!

Got back Monday evening and I'm trying to catch up on e-mails and laundry.

Many thanks to you, Kevin, and Ash for bringing Kyla on Saturday to our campsite on Cold Lake, even during the rain. Kyla is a trooper, for sure, she didn't complain at all!!

We surprisingly found not too much trash where we went this year - GREAT!! Although Kevin said they found a lot where they went.

I will post lots more in the days to come after I have a chance to check out all the e-mails, photos and stories.

Post yours and share with us!

Just to let everyone know, stories submitted as entries to win the grand prize Nova Craft Cronje canoe should be between 300-500 words, if possible. The winner will be determined by the editors of Explore Magazine.

Please e-mail your entries to BOTH Kevin Callan at [email protected] and to me at [email protected] Feel free to post them online, as well, so we can all share the enjoyment!

Since I'm the one who's giving away the grand prize Nova Craft Cronje canoe, I can't enter to win, but I wrote a story anyway, just for fun. Here it is:

It was a dark and stormy night...

Or was it just the cloud of black flies surrounding my head?

Friday, May 8, 2009, the beginning of our adventure for The Great Wilderness Cleanup 2009...

My brother, Ron, and I, packed up my Civic with Nova Craft secured on the roof. With Rons best friend, Murphy the Golden Retriever, aboard, we set off for Beaver Lake Road in the Kawartha Highlands where we would put in and paddle through Gold Lake and into Cold Lake to base camp for the next 4 days. Our objective was to venture out into the unknown and clean up where others have gone before.

We made a wrong turn at Lindsay, but not to worry, it was just a minor detour. After 200 km of driving, at Hwy 507 we encountered a road closed sign. But not to worry, the road crew let us pass. After reaching the access point on Beaver Lake Road, we disembarked the Civic and were attacked by the black flies. It was a dark and stormy night...or so it seemed with all the black flies. I instinctively tossed my fleece jacket into the car and raced for my bug jacket, unthinking of the fact that my car keys were in the fleece. Ron unknowingly shut the doors. Uh oh...

After flagging down a passing car and having them kindly call CAA for us, we not-so-patiently waited. The bugs were getting worse and Rons bug jacket was still in the car. We frantically poked small branches through the partially-open sun roof to attempt to unlock the doors. No go. Ron brilliantly suggested using a paddle...it worked!

Mike and Deb arrived shortly thereafter. We set off to make camp on Cold Lake. After a pleasant afternoon (with bug jackets on, of course), and a steak dinner, Ron and I decided to go for an evening paddle. Ron was in the stern. I attempted to set out the canoe, but balance was lost and Ron went for a dip in Cold Lake. It was cold, all right, the ice was not long gone! After showing us all his bare behind, Ron managed to get some dry clothes on. We all enjoyed the rest of the evening by a warm fire.

Saturday was a mixed bag of weather, ranging from sunny and warm, to cold, windy and rainy. Dont forget the bugs! We managed to venture out to a couple of campsites on Cold Lake to clean up before the rain hit. Ron and I found very little where we went - hurray! Our own campsite, however, had a few old beer cans and bottles, some plastic bags, a large round back yard patio-type table (complete with pole for an umbrella) and a rusty full-size propane BBQ. Kevin, his little girl, Kyla, and Ashley arrived around lunch time during the rain. Kyla was a real trooper and didnt want to go when her daddy said it was time to leave. Its a good thing they did, however; we were later hit with a bad thunderstorm and had to hunker down in our tents for a few hours. I, for one, had a nice nap! The storm passed and we had another nice fire that evening.

Sunday was cloudy and cold, but rain-free. We had breakfast, said our goodbyes to Mike and Deb, and then Ron and I paddled/portaged over to Cox Lake to do some cleaning. Again, we didnt find much, just 2 bags from several sites. Could it be working?, I asked myself. Back we went to Cold Lake, where we enjoyed another campfire on a beautiful evening. I was awakened at about 2:30 AM, not a sound at all except that of a lone beaver slapping its tail on the surface of the water...ten...eleven...twelve times I counted before it made its way back where it came from. I felt privileged to have experienced it and it made the entire trip for me.

Monday morning the sun was shining! The bugs were out. We had to pack up and head home. Its always sad to leave and go home. Even after the bugs and the rain and the lightening and thunder, its always sad to leave and go home.

Im always sad to leave, but Im also happy to know that Ive left there leaving it nicer than it was when I got there. It doesnt take much. Just pick up a thing or two...or three...or more. Just pack it in and just pack it out.

Simple as that.

Together we ARE making a difference. Thank you all.

We've had only 6 stories entered so far to win the canoe, so get yours in soon. I don't have a deadline yet, but I'll let you know as soon as I have one. Why not post them here as well as sending them to Kevin and me? We'd love to read them!

Hi everybody. My apologies for being so waaay behind in cleanup things! I've been so very busy lately with not only 2 trips within a 2-week time span, but also with work, things at home like trying to get my gardening done, and now I've been on jury duty this week. I still haven't even washed out my canoe yet.

If you please, I'd like to get results from all the cleanups in soon, including stories being submitted for entry to win the grand prize Nova Craft Cronje canoe. I don't know of any trips planned beyond the end of May (if you have one planned, please let me know ASAP!!), so I'm going to set a deadline for all results and story entries for the end of the first weekend of June (June 7th).

Send me all the info you can think of from your cleanup trip, such as your group name, how many people in your group, how many bags of garbage/recycling, other items found, weird items, big items, small items, really nasty items, really nice items, re-usable items, etc. Send me photos! We want photos!! Please also give me a small note (e-mail is fine) to give me written permission to use your photos online and/or publicly if you would like them shared.

Please feel free to post your stuff here, too, we all love to share in the experience! I'm hoping to get some pics from our own group up here shortly.

Here is a list of prizes we have to give away:

1. Nova Craft Cronje canoe
2. Explore Magazine subscription
3. Kevin Callan's Wilderness Pleasures book
4. Eureka mat-chairs
5. M&M's gift certificates
6. Laurie March's A Fork in the Trail cookbook
7. WildernessCooking.com White Box Alcohol Stove
8. MEC dry bags

Please e-mail your results to me at [email protected] and your stories to me and Kevin Callan at [email protected] so they may be forwarded to the editors at Explore Magazine for the judging.

Good luck everyone and once again, thank you all for helping to make our beloved wilderness an even prettier place to be!

mistakenly forgot to mention another prize giveaway. So sorry!

There is also a Great Wilderness Cleanup portage and hiking sign - generously donated by Gerry Neilands, veteran Scouts leader and writer for Leader magazine.

Thanks Gerry!

Guess what?!

We have just added another chapter to The Great Wilderness Cleanup!! Yes, Finland has just joined us! Welcome Finland!

I recently received an e-mail from Mr Jaakko P. Makikyla, President of The Finnish Open Canoe Association. The association is proud to announce that they held their first cleanup event this spring and had a great turnout.

I invited Jaakko to join us in leading Finland as our new chapter, and he has accepted!

Here are a couple of links you should check out about it (one is in Finnish, but the pics are universal):

http://roskaretki.blogit.fi/

http://www.avokanootti.info/html/in_english.html


Once again, welcome Finland!!

Hi everyone. I'm still waiting on a few results, but as soon as they come in, I'll get things together and post it all.

In the meantime, I thought you might like to check out a couple of blogs from the UK cleanups. Enjoy!

http://www.songofthepaddle.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=16881

http://www.songofthepaddle.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=15742 (This one starts about 1/3 down the page and is posted by Kazbunny cleaning up the Chichester Canal.)

Here's a few pics to check out from our own group, The Kawartha Brigade:

Courtesy of Me

Kevin, Kyla and Ash arriving on a wet Saturday


[Left to right - Ashley, Kevin, Kyla, Deb, Mike (Lost Canoe), Ron (my brother) -- Just trying to stay dry]



Courtesy of Kevin Callan

Keeping Kyla warm


Kyla and Ash being silly


Kyla having some lunch (what a cutie!)


Ron


Deb and Mike (Lost Canoe)


Group shot


I count 5 bags in that photo, and a full-size propane BBQ (on an island!). There was also a big round table with a metal pole through the middle of it, like a patio table. Deb and Mike found another bag or so on Cold Lake on their way out and Ron and I picked up a couple of bags from Cox Lake. I think that would be 8 "or so" bags in total. Geez, more than I thought.

Courtesy of Ron

Deb, Mike and Murphy (Ron's Golden Retriever) keeping the bugs off


Murphy guarding our supplies (yes, they've put picnic tables on all the sites in the Kawarthas)


Yours truly (hey, the bugs love me, OK? )


Courtesy of Mike MacHugh (Lost Canoe)

A bug-free meal...well, sort of


Yours truly and Mike at the table I was telling you about (Now where did I put that kitchen sink?)


Home from the water



Stay tuned for more from others...

Here's some pics from our new chapter in Finland. Enjoy!

http://picasaweb.google.com/7aacco/Roskaretki_2009#

Here's what Ken Corbett of the cause "Tire-Free Rivers" and the Tumblehome Paddlers Club in New Brunswick did for their cleanup of Killarney Lake in Fredericton on June 8th:

http://tirefreerivers.bravehost.com/index/canada/nb/saintjohn/numbers104-106.shtml

and here's some of their pics:

http://picasaweb.google.com/tumblehomepaddlers/KillarneyCleanup#

Enjoy!

The Great Wilderness Cleanup 2009 Results

CANADA

Kawartha Brigade - Our own cleanup group, including yours truly, my brother Ron and his faithful companion, Murphy the Golden Retriever, Kevin Callan and his little girl, Kyla, Kevins buddy/paddling partner Ashley, and Mike (Lost Canoe) and his fiance, Deb. Between the 8 of us, we cleaned up Gold, Cold and Cox Lakes in the Kawartha Highlands, taking out a total of about 8 bags of garbage. Kevin, Kyla and Ash came out for the day on Saturday, Mike and Deb stayed until Sunday and cleaned up the rest of Cold Lake on their way out, and Ron and I stayed until Monday, heading over the portage to Cox Lake on Sunday to take out 2 bags from there. We also found an old rusty full-size propane BBQ and old patio-type table at our campsite on Cold Lake (on an island!!) Despite the many, many black flies and the torrential rains on Saturday, we had a successful - and really fun - weekend!

Photo Courtesy of Kevin Callan



1st Milton Venturers - Our devoted Scouts group (all grown up now even!) took their cleanup to the Bottle/Sucker Lakes region in the Kawartha Highlands, just a portage away from our own. Eight troopers braved the bugs and the rain during the Mothers Day weekend cleanup event, picking up about 4 bags of garbage during their stay, along with, believe it or not, an exercise bike frame found several feet up in a tree! Check out Alex Hills pics here:

http://picasaweb.google.ca/ahill905/WildernessCleanupMay2009#

Photo Courtesy of Alex Hill



The Wolf Pack - Several volunteers gathered at The Wolf Den Bunkhouse near Algonquin Provincial Park for their annual cleanup blast. The Wolf Den provided 1/2 price accommodation to participants, Algonquin Outfitters provided free canoes for the event and Algonquin Provincial Park provided free day-passes to the volunteers. As every year, and unfortunately I might add, LOTS of trash was found around the Hwy #60 corridor of APP. The Wolf Pack filled a truckload. They found the usual beer cans and bottles, and a lot of disposable diapers, just left on the ground in parking lots. Also taken out were small - and large - propane canisters. According to Randy Mitson of Algonquin Outfitters, other items included a flat tire on a rim, lots of broken glass, various sandals, a T-shirt, two shot glasses at one scenic point, an unused still-in-the-wrapper tampon, the metal bar that goes under a pick-up to stabilize one of those in-the-bed campers, various pipes, a 26oz bottle of liquor at the art centre, OH and I found an aluminium fishing boat that was really beat up cashed in the woods, looked like a tree had maybe fallen on it....


Molly & the Mermaids - This devoted group once again took their weekend cleanup canoe trip to Eels Creek in the Kawartha Highlands. The 5 group members took out, according to group leader, Lisa Anttila, a 20 litre pail full of glass & more in bags, 2 garbage bags + 1 MNO bag of other stuff (one full recyclables & 1 1/2 bags of garbage), 3 chairs, 1 cooler, fuel cans, etc. They discovered that the north side of High Falls was very clean and confirmed their findings when they found the dumpster already full of stuff). Molly & the Mermaids found the south side of High Falls to be gross...Tons of beer cans and bottles, tampons, pads, chip bags, broken coolers, shoes, diapers. Ugh. At one site it had all been collected into a firewood bag but left theyre hanging on a tree.

Photos Courtesy of Lisa Anttila




The Garbage Pickers - A mother/daughter/friend group, took to the trails...the Mer Bleu trails to be precise... in the Greenbelt of the Ottawa area. Most of the trails they found well kept, so they cleaned up the ditches around the entrance to the first trail. When they reached the third trail, however, they discovered a horrible dumping ground under a beautiful old tree just off the trail. with bottles, cans, an old bed frame, etc. The group later informed the National Capital Commission about the dump. Kudos to you all!!


Joel Cooper & Company - Joel and a couple of friends took a powerboat to cover a 90 km area of the eastern Lake Superior shoreline on May 25th, including 9 wilderness campsites. Wow, 90 km!!! They also took a gander around the shoreline of the proposed Lake Superior Highlands Conservation Reserve. Thankfully, they didnt find much garbage this spring, not even a grocery bag full, but found some large plastic brought in by waves and not left by campers. I like the sound of that!!!!

Photo Courtesy of Joel Cooper



Tire-Free Rivers & The Tumblehome Paddlers - Ken Corbett of Tire-Free Rivers and members of the Tumblehome Paddlers Club joined together on June 8th to do an evening paddle around the shores of Killarney Lake in Fredericton, New Brunswick. Together they gathered about 5 bags of garbage, 3 tires, beer cans, beach toys, plastic bags, and other junk. Ken makes it a mission, like I do, to do what he can. Thanks Ken!

Photo Courtesy of Ken Corbett (Tire-Free Rivers & Tumblehome Paddlers)


http://tirefreerivers.bravehost.com/index/canada/nb/saintjohn/numbers104-106.shtml


Aquatic Park Sailing Club - For the second year, the APSC joined in The Great Wilderness Cleanup to help clean up our urban wilderness, hosting their annual Spring Leslie Spit Clean-up. Located in Tommy Thompson Park, it is a large area of urban wilderness which can be seen from Torontos downtown and this year coincided with the Bird Festival. Many members of the public pitched in by grabbing a couple of garbage bags and, according to Club Commodore, Mike Robbins, went roaming the backwoods of the Spit along with our own members, and CLEANING THINGS UP! As Mike says about an old Chinese proverb, a space that is kept by many should be swept by many. I agree.


Saskatoon Canoe Club - Bryan Sarauer of the Saskatoon Canoe Club organized a cleanup event to cover the South Saskatchewan River, but, unfortunately, the day of the cleanup was rained out and Bryan was the lone participant. Not to worry, however, Bryan showed his true dedication and love for the wilderness by going out on his own to clean up the riverbeds and sandbars in the area. He spent a couple of hours on a rainy day collecting 2 mid-sized bags of garbage. Kudos to you, Bryan!!


Team Solo - David Sullivan aka Preacher took a solo trip in APP from the Magnetewan access point and went to Little Trout Lake and back. He found lots of small stuff, along with a grill, a shoe (why is it always one?). Thanks, Preacher.


Pick-up Artists - Eleven members from the website forum of Algonquin Adventures took a weekend and cleaned up Craig Lake. All they could find was less than one bag of garbage. YAY!!!!!!!


Canuckcamper - Canuckcamper decided he wanted some time to himself, so he took off for the Massasaugua area. He collected all of 1/2 bag of garbage over 3 sites. He says he also found a bear along the way....


Dutchie - Dutchie did a route in APP the weekend before Mothers Day and found just a couple of candy wrappers. Whoohoo!!!


USA

Unfortunately, due to work and family responsibilities, our USA leader, Greg Bo Bowers, was unable to participate in this years cleanup event. No other groups from the USA volunteered, Im sad to report. Lets hope next year is better.


UK

MagiKelly (John Kelly) - John led the UK cleanup this year, and as last year, it was a great success. Johns own group went to Castle Semple Loch on Sunday, May 10th for their event. Many volunteered, including The Ginger Paddlers, Maz & Conner, Teuchter, Packman, Bluecanoe, Mick & sons, Driftwood, and MagiKelly himself. By the time they were done, they collected more than 5 garbage bags, along with the usual bottles, cans, plastic bags, wrappers, fast food containers, paper, etc., wheel and tire, 2 traffic cones, beer crate, punch bag, trike, buckets, a piece of gas main, M&S camp chair, fishing lures/lines/hooks galore, 7 or 8 buoys and much more that had no place being where it was. They also found a fishing scale, pliers, 2 rod bags, hand gel and a large plastic sheet wrapped round a submerged log. Wow, is all I can say about that.

Photos Courtesy of MagiKelly aka John Kelly











The Sea Cadets (Kazbunny) - Kazbunny led some Sea Cadets on a training expedition to the Chichester Canal, not only to teach them paddling skills, but also to teach them about keeping our environment clean. Thanks for that!! They came up with 4 garbage bags full of trash, finding mostly the usual things such as plastic bottles, beer cans, plastic sheeting, crisp packets, fishing lines/hooks, dead fish (OK, maybe not so usual)...oh and we found a ball to play with too. Their most favourite find was a nice bag of doggy poo. Lovely...

Photos Courtesy of Kazbunny





BRAZIL

I do know that our Brazil leader, Tony Osse, had great plans for a cleanup event the first weekend of May, but I have not yet heard from him. I have repeatedly attempted to contact him, but to no avail. I believe he told me that he would be out of the country during June, so my hope is that I will hear from him in the near future and will then be able to report on his successes. Most of all, I hope Tony and his family are all OK and doing fine during their time away.


FINLAND

The Finnish Open Canoe Association (Jaakko P. Makikyla, President) - Welcome to our new chapter in The Great Wilderness Cleanup!! The Finnish Open Canoe Association organized their first annual cleanup this spring, and what a wonderful job they did!! Several groups did TrashPaddlings in many areas of Finland; the northernmost was in the city of Oulu, which is 65 degrees north on the map. Overall, they took out over 20 large garbage bags of trash, a bicycle, some wheels & tires, traffic signs, some unused fishing traps, and the usual plastic bottles, etc. An unusual find was a message in a bottle, written by two 14-year old girls who wanted to know some answers about life. (Last year Molly & the Mermaids also found a message in a bottle.)

Photos Courtesy of Photo Finnish Open Canoe Association









Personal Comments

Each year I do this with Kevin Callan, I am still speechless after I finally put all these results and photos together at the end. I admit sometimes its difficult to keep going with this effort because it takes up a lot of time, but when I look at what I just wrote down up there, it makes the whole thing totally worthwhile. It just amazes me what we can all accomplish by getting together towards a common goal.

To this day, I still dont understand why people dump their garbage anywhere and everywhere they feel like dumping it. It baffles me. Its just so simple to take back out what you took in. I mean, they made the effort to get it all there so why not do the same to take it out? Whats the excuse? There is none.

Although participation was down a bit this year, the countless volunteers who gave up their personal time and put in the effort to get out there during a rainy and buggy weekend to help clean up our wilderness just makes me so very proud. It brings tears to my eyes when I think of it. Give yourselves all a big pat on the back because you deserve it!

Many thanks to all of this years sponsors, including Canada Post, Nova Craft, The Boston Mills Press (Wilderness Pleasures by Kevin Callan), Explore Magazine, Mountain Equipment Co-op, Eureka!, M&M Meat Shops, OutdoorAdventureCanada.com, Touchwood Editions (A Fork in the Trail by Laurie March), WildernessCooking.com, Scouts Leader Gerry Neilands (hiking/portage signs), The Wolf Den Bunkhouse and last but certainly not least, Algonquin Outfitters. Your support is priceless. I hope I didnt miss any, please let me know if I did.

Also my thanks to the many website forums that have let me post pages and pages about this cleanup. It is with your help that this cause has become a global one.

Special thanks go to my partner, Kevin Callan, who has been behind me 100% since day one. Couldnt do this without you, Kevin.

Most of all, dear volunteers, I thank YOU for supporting me in this cause and for giving up your personal time to do a good deed. I just hope you have fun while youre out there.

Congratulations to everyone!! Together we ARE making a real difference.



Stay tuned folks because well be announcing winners soon!!

I mistakenly made an oversight and neglected to mention the efforts of a dedicated group in Ontario called the Killer B's. My very sincere apologies.

The Killer Bs - This family did a killer cleanup in Algonquin Park the weekend before Mothers Day. Their plans included cleaning up all of the campsites on Head Lake, but ended up being wind bound both Friday and Saturday. Before heading home on Sunday, they buzzed around the lake as much as they could and also flew over the portage from Cache Lake to Head Lake to clean it up, too. In just a short time they collected 3 park bags full of garbage, as well as a sock (one again) and a rusty Coleman 1-gallon fuel can.

Photos Courtesy of The Killer Bs

Winners will be announced this week!

In the meantime, I received a mid-season report from 'Uncle' Phil of The Wabakimi Project. Phil is taking a short break after 5 weeks and will be leaving for another 7 weeks as of July 10th.

The Wabakimi Project this year is mapping and cleaning up canoe routes west of WPP on the Crown land called Caribou Forest. I like that name! Phil has "lost track" of the number of bags of garbage they've shipped out, but he assures me it's "quite substantial". During their first 5 weeks, The Wabakimi Project has cleared 23 portages (over 8,000 m) and has cleaned 29 campsites.

During the next 7 weeks, they will be working on the Pashkokogan, Misehkow and Albany Rivers (down to Patte Lake).

Thank you!!

HERE WE GO...!!!


The Great Wilderness Cleanup 2009 Winners

Wilderness Pleasures by Kevin Callan (Most Garbage) - John Kelly (MagiKelly), leader for the UK. Way to go!

Explore Magazine subscription (Newest Chapter) - The Finnish Open Canoe Association. Welcome!

MEC Dry Bags (Most Rained Out Group) - Bryan Sarauer of the Saskatoon Canoe Club. Bryan ended up going by himself because of rain. Lets hope the dry bags help keep them dry next year!

Eureka Mat Chairs (Most Ground Covered/Cleaned in one day) - Joel Cooper & Company who covered a 90 km area of the eastern Lake Superior Shoreline, including 9 wilderness campsites in one day. Wow!

M&M Meat Shops Gift Certificates (donated by Kim Cowan) (Ongoing Outstanding Effort) - The Wolf Pack (Ben Teskey of The Wolf Den & Randy Mitson of AO for next year's BBQ) You're the best!

A Fork in the Trail by Laurie March (Best Photo) - Molly & the Mermaids (Lisa Anttila) for this shot. It says it all!



White Box Alcohol Stove (WildernessCooking.com - donated by Laurie March) (Best Scouts Group) - 1st Milton Venturers - See if you can cook a roast dinner with this stove, guys!

Hiking Sign (donated by veteran Scouts Leader and writer for Leader Magazine, Gerry Neilands) (Best Trail Cleanup) - The Garbage Pickers who cleaned up the Mer Bleu trails in the Ottawa area. They discovered a big dumping ground under a tree and notified the National Capital Commission. Thank you!

Portage Sign (donated by veteran Scouts Leader and writer for Leader Magazine, Gerry Neilands) (Best Portage Cleanup) - Uncle Phil of The Wabakimi Project who have so far cleaned up over 8,000m of portages in the Wabakimi area (with many more to go). Kudos!

The Great Wilderness Cleanup T-shirts (donated by Kevin Callan & Nancy Maddock) (In Appreciation) - to many other volunteers who have given their time and effort towards this worthy cause. We sincerely thank you, we couldn't do this without you!


And last, but certainly not least, our grand prize winner (drum roll, if you please...)

PLEASE NOTE: Before naming the winner, I would like to say that Kevin and I did NOT take part in judging the winning story at all. The editors of Explore Magazine reviewed each story entry fairly and without bias.

Nova Craft Cronje Canoe (Best Group Story Written)- Ron Maddock of the Kawartha Brigade. The story will soon be published online at Explore Magazine. Congratulations, Bro!


Many, many congratulations from Kevin and I to each and every person involved in this (and every) years The Great Wilderness Cleanup. Lets hope that one day this event wont be necessary.

To all winners: Please e-mail me at [email protected] to give me your postal mailing address. I will also attempt to contact you. Thank you.

Until next year folks... You are the best!

The Great Wilderness Cleanup is back again this year.http://www.wildernesscleanup.com/
Let's see how many can put their money where their mouth is!

Thanks for posting this Bob. Are you doing a clean up anywhere?

mark