In an effort to clean the Okanagan backcountry, two volunteer groups came together to tackle the dismantling of a large camp set up in the forest of West Kelowna. 

Tyler Gigg and the West Kelowna Trail Stewards (WKTS) ATV and side-by-side group teamed up with Kane Blake and the Okanagan Forest Task Force (OFTF) on a two-person camp with over 2,000 pounds of garbage and the equivalent in metal. 

Blake posted two walk-through videos of the camp to on Oct. 4. 

"The creek," Blake commented about the sound in the background of the video. "That feeds a lot of people their drinking water." Aside from removing cans and bottles from the creek, Blake added that a few large oil jugs also had to be pulled from the water. 

As Blake continues to walk around garbage on the forest floor he adds the volunteers have cleaned up a large amount of drug paraphernalia. "It never seems to end."

It was noted in the video that come spring the run-off will put much of the camp and the garbage under water. 

The also serves as a warning to others. "Please do not just walk into camps. You never know what you're getting in to."

A was posted by OFTF on Oct. 6 showing the debris left behind. 

"Kane does this every single day," Gigg said, adding that OFTF always needs volunteers and donations to continue cleaning up. 

"There's strength in numbers folks. This is in your backyard, close to schools and other areas that are definitely of concern," Gigg stated. 

Blake said the task force is close to wrapping up for the year, but anyone interested in helping through the spring and summer of 2025 can find event details on their website .