New Zealand Motor Caravan Association CEO Bruce Lochore is calling on his members to roll up their sleeves to help the Department of Conservation with the massive clean-up of the Fox riverbed, on the West Coast.
Bruce will be heading there to assist with Operation Tidy Fox in mid-August and he’s keen for as many fit and active members as possible to volunteer too.
“I understand this job isn’t for everyone,” he says. “This is going to be hard work. DOC advises that volunteers should have a moderate to high level of fitness as they will need to be able to walk over uneven terrain and continually bend or crouch to pick up rubbish for up to six hours per day.
“But I believe this is a great opportunity for us, as an Association, to show that our support for DOC – with whom we share a longstanding partnership – is more than just words.”
Bruce says NZMCA members have done that in spades over the years – mucking in to help out at DOC camp sites and even initiating self-funded beautification projects.
But Operation Tidy Fox is a project at a whole new level. It’s the result of the Fox landfill being flooded back in March, when years of rubbish and debris were strewn down the Fox and Cook rivers, through nearby bush and onto West Coast beaches.
Many of these precious landscapes are part of Te WƒÅhipounamu – south-west New Zealand’s UNESCO World Heritage Area.
The landfill breach has devastated the environment, and things could get worse, say DOC officials.
Marine mammals, including fur seals, penguins, shorebirds and Hector’s dolphins, live in the affected coastal estuaries and marine environments.
Also, animals could become entangled in rubbish or mistake plastic rubbish for food.
Until recently, the clean-up was being attempted by a small group of local volunteers – who had the impossible task of collecting rubbish strewn across hundreds of hectares.
However, aware that rising river levels as spring approaches could cause an even worse disaster, DOC and the Army have stepped in to escalate the operation.
“DOC’s very keen to have us there as soon as possible,” says Bruce. “They have confirmed that they can provide motorhome/caravan parking at the Fox Glacier settlement and volunteers also receive accommodation (if needed) transport to and from work sites, and lunch and dinner for each workday.”
