The Back Country Horsemen of BC

Vancouver Island Chapters Hold Earth Day Clean-up Projects

Compiled by Terri Perrin, with contributions from our Alberni, Central Vancouver Island & North Vancouver Island Chapters

BCHBC is an organization that provides equestrians who are interested in trail riding with a safe and social learning atmosphere, where people of all ages can enjoy trail riding and the wilderness experience.

Considering that environmental stewardship, trail building and trail maintenance are key parts of our overall mission, it makes sense that some of our 19 chapters get involved with community projects, such as Earth Day. Here’s a recap of how three of our chapters hosted Earth Day 2022 clean-ups… with hope that this will inspire other equestrian groups to plan Earth Day projects this year. Mark your calendars for April 22, 2023!

Alberni Chapter

“ This was the first time the Alberni Chapter hosted a park cleanup,” says spokesperson Chloe Wangler. “Our chapter has noticed more and more people out in the backcountry hiking and recreationally using the trails. While this is great, unfortunately, the heavier traffic has brought with it more litter. With our Earth Day challenge, we were hoping to bring a bit of awareness to this— and BCHBC’s commitment to ‘Leave No Trace’—and support a local business at the same time.

We invited all equestrians and anyone else using the backcountry to do their own cleanup, take a photo, and submit it to us for a chance to win a $50 gift card from Mobius Books in Port Alberni. It was set up so community members could participate on their own time, in any area of their choosing.

We had a total of 8 entries with 12 participants in total, but we didn’t keep track of the amount of waste recovered. The winner of the random draw was our own Back Country member Debra Ralston. It was well-deserved as Deb and her husband Brian hauled a full pickup truck of garbage from the side of the road to the dump all on their own.”

Central Vancouver Island (CVI)

Five CVI members participated in their 2022 Earth Day project and cleaned up the garbage dumped near the Timberlands trailhead and horse trailer parking. They also worked in collaboration with the Ladysmith Sportsman Club, Fortis BC and Mosaic employees and other community members, who cleaned many different areas. Two pickup loads of trash— weighing an estimated 8 tonnes—were removed from the Timberlands area by CVI members alone!

“ While we were proud of our efforts, we also felt sad and dismayed as we clean up almost the same amount every year,” recalled CVI member Jo Hull-Sykes. “We are grateful to our members who took the time on a busy Saturday to help clean up where we ride.”

North Vancouver Island Chapter (NVI)

According to NVI member, Sharon Pickthorne, in addition to traditional ‘trash,’ this chapter’s Earth Day project involved a clean-up of a mess caused by an elk! “We had 5 volunteers who focused on local forester Harold Macy’s Crown Land wood lots. The white cones we picked up are designed to protect newly planted trees. Harold asked if we could help clean up the mess made by an elk. Once recovered, he put them in storage for re-use.

In addition to the white cones, our group cleaned up over 300 kilograms (almost 700 pounds) of garbage. One important lesson we learned was that it’s important to separate your metal before you go to the dump. Bring two trucks if possible. I also brought along a bunch of old feed bags to use as trash bags. They were stronger, easier to carry, and the metal didn’t punch through. My advice? Start saving your old feed bags for a couple of months, if you plan an Earth Day clean up.”

Benefits of Belonging:

Don’t let our name fool you! At least half our members are women. Many members don’t ride the back country, and some don’t even own horses… but all support our Mission and the work we do. Be sure to check out our website to learn more about membership! Note: All members must also hold membership with Horse Council BC or other affiliated organizations.