There was a great turn out in Keremeos Sunday. There were about 25-30 pickers and at least a dozen locals and it took us an hour to sweep the area. Everybody pitched in and it was fun.

Oliver might consider something like that with a BBQ/potluck to end the day. What do you think?

Lilly Zekanovic

More than 20 farm workers and a handful of concerned locals put their muscle into cleanup efforts July 13th and 14th near Keremeos. “It was an amazing success. The farm workers who first broached the topic of cleaning up the former Farm Worker Campground said there was a lot of garbage, but there was way more than I expected,” said Doug Boult, President of the Keremeos-Cawston Sportsmen Association.

Four pickup loads of garbage were hauled to the local dump. Members of FACTOS-Farm And Community Team Okanagan Similkameen worked side-by-side with farm workers, campers and concerned residents from the South Similkameen.  “We plan on doing it again in October,” said Boult.

Volunteers met with a small measure of resistance from a handful of campers who seemed offended that someone should want to clean up their neighbourhood. “You don’t have to be here!” suggested one young camper to the cleanup crew.