We are getting closer to the date of one of my favourite annual events. The Sheep River Valley Clean-up and Tree Planting day will be on May 6 this year from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. You can pre-register to participate at okotoks.ca or you can register at Ethel Tucker Park beside the Library on the day of the event.
I’ve participated in the River Valley Clean-up many times in all kinds of weather. I remember the one after the 2005 flood. All sorts of stuff had been brought in by the flood. Gas cans, mail boxes, picnic tables, etc. It was pouring rain on the day of the clean-up but we still managed to clean out tons of litter and debris from our beautiful river valley. I went home that day soaked right through, covered in mud but still feeling great about the contribution I had made for our local environment.
More recently, I participated in the clean-up with my children and we collected bags and bags of garbage from the ravine south of the Recreation Centre.
It was a great experience for all of us. I recall that it was a sunny day that day and I almost got home relatively clean and dry. As we were on our way back to Ethel Tucker Park I came across a large section of snow fence that was partially buried in mud. I was pulling and pulling but it was really stuck. I pulled with everything I had until the snow fence came loose and I went flying backwards into the mud. My kids thought it was the funniest thing they ever saw. I had to laugh at myself too.
