Last Saturday afternoon provided an opportunity to give back to the community at large. I had the amazing luck to participate in two guided, free tours offered by the GeoPark this summer (Thomas Cove and Five Islands Provincial Park). When the notice arrived that volunteers were needed to help with the shore clean up on September 18th we signed up at the location closest to us, Five Islands Lighthouse Park on Broderick Lane in Five Islands, a 20 minute drive away.
The weather was cooperating despite a 30% chance of rain. Our host was Caleb, who had also led the tours we participated in. He greeted us by name which made us all feel so welcome. What a great memory he has!
We were soon on our way to the beach. Three groups veered to the right, our little group turned left. To our surprise and relief we soon discovered that this particular beach was in a very clean state. We chatted with some locals and they shared that they keep their beach clean, picking up trash on a daily basis. It showed!
I made a strong effort not to immerse myself in photography but it was very difficult to just keep my eyes on the beach to locate trash…
The sky over the Five Islands was forever changing and just called out to be documented. And then there was the typical beach “litter” the tide deposits twice a day. The mixture of sea weed, sea lettuce and dulse always calls out to me.
There were three in our group and together we collected 12 lbs of trash, of which the 2″x4″ construction trash contributed most of the weight.
We were happy with the small amount of trash we collected. There will be another clean up event next spring. Meanwhile, we keep picking up trash during regular beach excursions. Every little bit helps, right?
It’s good to know that this beach is in pretty good condition considering it has never had an official clean up event. We loved spending the two hours with like-minded people, some who have lived in the area forever, and many of us who are relatively new and have come by choice.
Thanks to the UNESCO Fundy GeoPark for organizing this worthwhile event. Looking forward to participating in 2022. Best wishes, Anna
Fundy Contemplations... 
I is always a shock to me to see trash on beaches, hiking trails and also the ditches outside my home. Congratulations on a great job, well done.
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Yes, the amount of trash that accumulates along the beaches is shocking indeed.
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