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Sticks and stones may break your bones and an unhappy time at Coquihalla River Park

Hope Mountain Centre calls out for volunteers for annual park clean-up party
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A group of volunteers from last year’s clean-up efforts. (Submitted)

As the old saying goes, sticks and stones may break your bones—but what’s not said is they also make for an unhappy time when trying to enjoy the amenities at Coquihalla River Park. That’s why it’s time for the fourth annual Hope Mountain Centre Work Party.

Each spring since the bike park was completed in 2015, Hope Mountain Centre (HMC) has banded together volunteers to tackle the cleaning and grooming of the trails, which are loaded with debris from winter storms.

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“This winter wasn’t too bad,” said Kelly Pearce, program director at HMC. “Luckily there were no ice storms or extraordinary wind events, however, several trees have died in recent years … (and) more than a dozen trees had to be removed by professional fallers earlier this spring, so part of our job on Saturday is to remove the remaining branches and debris left behind by those fallen trees.”

The clean-up event takes place on Saturday, April 6, from 9 a.m. till noon at the Hope Bike Park.

And besides an enthusiastic, can-do attitude, volunteers are invited to bring a rake, pruner, wheelbarrow, work gloves, as well as snacks and refreshments.

Meeting at the picnic area near the Kawkawa Lake Bridge, volunteers will work steadily at cleaning the park for riders. And although our winter wasn’t severe, Pearce says there will still be lots of elbow-grease involved in Saturday’s clean-up.

“We could easily fill a large steel container with all the debris that is laying on the ground right now,” he said. And while “we typically get at least a dozen people (helping), we’re hoping for more this year due to the volume of material that needs to be removed. It would be nice to have at least 20 hands on deck to get the Bike Park done.”

Members of the Hope Disc Golf Club will also be attending on Saturday to get things tidied up on their course, Pearce added.

“It took a great deal of community fundraising and volunteer effort to build the Hope Bike Park. But as a result of those efforts, Hope has a tremendous recreational asset that is astounding,” so Pearce is asking the community to continue helping the Hope Mountain Centre keep it that way.

For more info about the Work Party or about Hope Mountain Centre, visit HopeMountain.org.