Huy tseep q’u siem (thank you) to all of the community volunteers, partners and sponsors who participated in our 14th annual Lower River Clean Up to welcome the salmon home on August 25th!

Every year this heartwarming event removes truck-loads of garbage from the beating heart of our valley—the Cowichan River—before the fall rains return and wash it all downstream. This year with the help of close to 100 volunteers and our valued partners and sponsors, we pulled out a whopping 1,305 kgs of garbage from 15 km of the sta’lo’ (river).

We ended the Clean Up feeling tired, happy, and proud—with smiles on our faces and full bellies from all the delicious food that was donated to our effort! All-in-all, it was a day of action, gratitude, community, and good laughs with friends old and new!

A heartfelt thank you to our longtime and new partners

We would particularly like to thank Cowichan Tribes for hosting the event—with a special shout out to Rick Wilson for his tireless work all day, to Vernon Canute for hosting us at the Mini Big House and to Cowichan Tribes Councillor Deborah Toporowski for the beautiful welcome and start to our day!

Many more thanks to Cowichan Valley Regional District (CVRD) for waiving tipping fees for all the trash we collected, the team at Si’em Lelum Gymnasium for supplying the tables and chairs, Island Tractor & Supply Ltd. for a cash donation, Superstore for cash, supply and food donations, the Duncan Garage Cafe & Bakery for a yummy breakfast, True Grain Bakery for their baked goods, the Rotary Club of Duncan for expertly cooking our BBQ lunch, Paper Excellence for their cash donation, the Cowichan Estuary Nature Centre for kids’ activities and running a route in the estuary for the first time ever, Peter Williams at All Seasons Services for hauling trash, Paul Slade, David Slade and Drillwell (who have been continuous supporters since the first river cleanup!) for leading routes and hauling trash, and finally to the organizers and route leaders of our 12 amazing teams that made sure everyone found their way, stayed safe and had fun!

Looking forward

The River Clean Up truly highlighted the love our community has for our river! We can’t wait to do it all again next year. Want to stay informed about the Cowichan Watershed Board's latest news? Sign up for our newsletter!

Members of the 2024 River Clean Up. Photo by Jim & Lyn Wisnia.