“Legacy” waste removal project took place at KLT property in North Kawartha in time for Earth Day 2023
By Richard Raper, Lead Property Steward, KLT’s Ingleton-Wells property
On April 19, 2023, under overcast skies and in cool weather, Kawartha Land Trust (KLT) staff and volunteers completed the removal of significant quantities of “legacy” waste at KLT’s Ingleton-Wells property.
It all started in 2022 when a visitor reported some old tires, rusted wheels, and car parts located within the property to me.
Upon further investigation, the amount of waste was found to be fairly significant: tires (most with rims), several piles of rusted car parts, bed springs, rusted barrels, heavy-duty metal cable, steel roofing, and much more. Since this waste had been in place for many (many) years, much of it was partially or fully hidden by leaves and vegetative growth.
I formulated the plans for the 2023 clean-up during the winter, and in early spring of 2023, in consultation with Hayden Wilson, KLT’s Land Stewardship Manager, we scheduled a date early enough to “beat” the bugs (i.e., black flies and mosquitoes!).
Evan Thomas, KLT Trustee and former Lead Property Steward for the Ingleton-Wells property, and I did some prep work to access the various piles of waste and lifted some of the waste to make it more visible for the cleanup. In addition, we moved a small quantity of “legacy” waste from nearby areas to the main area of waste for clean-up on the same day.
On the day of the clean-up, KLT staff and volunteers arrived as scheduled, and, after brief remarks (with an emphasis on safety) and introductions, the clean-up effort began.
It did not take long to see that there was a considerable amount of waste to be cleaned up! In the end, over five trailer loads of waste was removed from the site. A significant effort, for sure, one that will allow natural processes to occur on the site, with all the benefits that entails.
Many thanks to the volunteers for their hard work and commitment to “protecting the land you love.”
Published April 21, 2023.
