In total, volunteers have collected 16,500 bags of garbage and recyclables from the beaches of this Provincial Park and national historic site over the past 32 years. The McNabs and Lawlor Islands Provincial Park cleanup is the longest-running and largest cleanup in the Maritimes!

Ghost Gear Marine Debris continues to be a large part of the garbage collected from the beaches. More giant-sized rope was found, motor oil containers, lobster bands and tags, fish crates and lobster traps, Styrofoam of varying sizes, and dozens of oversized tires were hauled off the beaches of the island park. This year there as an odd assortment of personal items and toys – a bedroom slipper, an orthopedic shoe and a bra, plus toy soldiers, a miniature doll’s boot, and a fuzzy koala. And there is a sailboat out there somewhere without its mainsail.

The bulk of the items collected are plastics which deteriorate into micro-plastics over time but stay in the environment for centuries. Plastic tampon applicators from the sewage system and Tim Horton’s coffee cups continue to litter the beaches.

Thanks to teams from McInnes Cooper, Scotian Shores, the 339 Iroquois Sea Cadets, the Alnass Community Association and many individuals and families who volunteered to pick up garbage that littered the park. Support for the cleanup came from McInnes Cooper, Develop Nova Scotia, HRM, Source Atlantic, A&M Sea Charters, Ambassatours, Taylor Made Tours and the Port of Halifax.

The Friends of McNabs Island Society is a volunteer-driven registered charity dedicated to preserving and protecting McNabs and Lawlor Islands Provincial Park and Fort McNab National Historic Site. Since 1990, the Friends of McNabs have improved the trails and park facilities, organized community beach cleanups and offered guided tours to island visitors – making McNabs Island a welcoming park for everyone.

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Catherine McCarthy
Friends of McNabs Island Society – email: info@mcnabsisland.ca – cell: 902-456-9167
https://mcnabsisland.ca/

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On Sunday, 50 volunteers paddled or ferried to Lawlor Island in Halifax Harbour to clean up the beaches. Lawlor Island is a 50 hectare island directly across from MacCormacks Beach in Eastern Passage and is part of McNabs and Lawlor Islands Provincial Park. The island is an environmental protection zone and has no public access.

Volunteers spent the day digging out tires and collected approximately 300 bags of garbage including 20 lobster traps, a large gill fishing net, lots of fishing rope and a port-a-potty.

Two weeks ago volunteers collected 800 bags or 5 tonnes of garbage from McNabs Island. The Lawlor cleanup adds to this amount. Over the past 30 years, more than 16,000 bags of garbage and recyclables have been collected from the beaches of the island park. The McNabs and Lawlor Islands Provincial Park cleanup is the longest-running and largest cleanup in the Maritimes!

About 20 kilograms of gill net fishing gear was untangled from the trees and rocks along the shoreline. This plastic Ghost Gear Marine Debris doesn’t break down and entangles marine animals and wildlife. Other marine debris collected included motor oil containers, lobster bands, bait bags, trap tags, fish crates and 20 lobster traps. Large and small pieces of Styrofoam and dozens of tires were hauled off the beaches of the island park. Interesting items discovered at this cleanup include a port-a-potty, a VHS tape, a broken drone and a miniature boxing glove.

Thanks to the many volunteers from the Friends of McNabs Island and Scotian Shores who picked up garbage that littered the island park. Support for the cleanups came from Develop Nova Scotia, McInnes Cooper, HRM, Nova Scotia Natural Resources, and Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

The Friends of McNabs Island Society is a volunteer-driven registered charity dedicated to preserving and protecting McNabs and Lawlor Islands Provincial Park and Fort McNab National Historic Site. Since 1990, the Friends of McNabs have improved the trails and park facilities, organized community beach cleanups and offered guided tours to island visitors – making McNabs Island a welcoming park for everyone.