The BC Interior Chapter of Safari Club International is inviting B.C. residents to take part in its inaugural Forest Service Road Clean Up for Wildlife contest.
Taking place from May 16-31, the contest is open for anyone to enter.
Jordan Kempf, and SCI member and part of the conservation committee, said during these times of self isolation the contest is a chance for families to get out and enjoy the outdoors while also contributing to cleaning up the environment.
“Anyone that’s motivated to get out and do some part to help B.C. wildlife, the environment and the habitat is encouraged to take part,” he said, noting he’s excited to be a part of one of the first projects the B.C. Interior chapter of SCI has organized.
“The government has its rules and regulations to follow for people, but there are ethics people should follow, as well as respect [for the outdoors,] however, there are people in society who lack that respect or are just lazy and will dump their trash out in the bush somewhere or up any forestry service road.”
He said there is enforcement, although noted it’s a difficult matter to police and, often, forest service roads are littered with garbage of both the small and large varieties.
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“We’re just hoping to give people some incentive,” he said, noting an early bird draw for a custom-made knife, some other swag and the grand prize draw for a custom fire pit ring will be up to enter for participants who send in their photos.
Photos, including a date and a location, can be submitted online at https://bcinteriorsci.ca/projects and entered into a raffle for a chance to win one of several prizes up for grabs.
SCI’s conservation projects committee chair Ted Bocking said he hopes to see the FSR Clean Up for Wildlife become an annual event with the intention of starting small and growing it into a larger-scale clean-up.
“We have a huge density of FSRs in B.C., so the opportunity to collect garbage and give back to our environment is the main goal for us,” Bocking said.
The Cariboo Regional District, meanwhile, has said it will waive dumping fees for the event.
“People bringing in resource road clean up and backcountry clean up loads of trash in are to let the attendant [at the transfer station] know,” Kempf said.
SCI, meanwhile, works to proect the freedom to hunt and in promoting wildlife conservation worldwide.
The B.C. Interior SCI were formerly known as the “Hunters for BC,” Kempf said, however, as time progressed the group slowly transitioned to begin working with SCI Canada to develop the chapter.
For more on the SCI visit https://bcinteriorsci.ca or visit them on Facebook at Hunters for BC.
greg.sabatino@wltribune.com
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