Lake Victoria Paddle Cleanup

Today we took to the water on the Avon River in Stratford for a paddle cleanup. With our kayak and paddleboard we pulled 20 kg of debris from the river corridor, including a waterlogged tarp that had snagged on the bank, a large metal gate submerged in the shallows, fishing lures tangled in riverside vegetation, and an assortment of plastics.

The tarp and gate alone accounted for the bulk of the weight. That kind of material sits invisible below the surface until you’re right on top of it. But the fishing tacke is one of the more insidious things we pull out of these rivers: monofilament and lures entangle wildlife and persist for decades.

The river was full of life: we spotted two Great Blue Herons working the shallows, broods of ducklings in the quieter bends, and — the highlight of the day — an American mink that was remarkably bold, hunting openly along the bank and successfully catching a fish while we watched. Mink are a genuine indicator of riparian health; seeing one this active is a good sign for the Avon corridor.