The cadets of 3045 Army, Canada's most northern army
cadet corps, spent the last day of August cleaning up the shoreline behind
Arctic Bay Airport. The responsible
endeavour would beautify an area that serves as a nesting and feeding area for
birds. As well, the participating cadets
would accumulate community service hours.
Cadets are required to complete a certain amount of community service
hours every year. The corps does a
cleanup of some kind every year before the first snowfall of winter.
The
shoreline behind the airport was chosen because it is the final resting place for
various items that were left out on the frozen ice during the winter
months. When the ice in the bay melts,
the current carries the objects towards the airport and washes them up on the
shoreline. I had been told that after
several years, a substantial amount of garbage had accumulated and something
had to be done. Send in the cadets!
Saturday,
August 31st, began with breakfast at the Commanding Officer's (CO)
residence. For breakfast, Irene, the
mental health nurse, prepared egg 'McMuffins' with bacon and sliced cheese. For beverages, there was apple juice and
orange juice. Everything was devoured
within minutes. After a quick briefing
by the CO, the cadets put on their jackets & boots and jumped into the
backs of two pickup trucks, eager to enjoy the rides to the airport. I decided to ride in the back with the cadets
while other adult volunteers rode shotgun.
Two ATVs with loading trailers were also brought along to assist in
transporting the collected garbage to the town's landfill.
Before
arriving at the town's airport, the convoy of trucks and ATVs made a brief stop
at a small shed at the town's Gas Station.
The shed is used to store equipment, tools, and other supplies owned by
the corps. Forming a chain, the cadets
loaded garbage bags, gloves, Individual Meal Packages (IMPs), and a white tent
onto the pickup trucks. As we drove
onwards, I took photos of the town behind us and the surrounding landscape. The sky was covered with grey overcast clouds
and there was a cold wind. Snapping
steady pictures proved to be a challenge because the truck was constantly
bouncing up and down.
Upon
arrival at the airport, everyone disembarked and walked around the left side of
the terminal. Since there were no
morning flights scheduled, the place appeared deserted. At the foot of runway, the ground turned to
mud. Several cadets who weren't wearing
rubber boots hopped into a loading trailer attached to an ATV and were driven
to the shoreline. I chose to navigate my
way through the mud with my heavy winter boots.
Thankfully, no water leaked inside.
The
land in this area is dominated by rocks of various sizes, but there is also a
variety of colourful flora. The colours one can find are: red, brown, orange,
beige, and green. Upon reaching the
shoreline, you get breathtaking 360-degree views of Arctic Bay, the red
vertical cliffs, the pyramid looking mountain, King George V Mountain, and the seaway
entrance to Admiralty Inlet. After
capturing all these natural landmarks with my digital camera, I turned my
attention to the obvious sights that couldn't be ignored: garbage. A substantial amount of litter was strewn
across the shoreline. Not for long, I thought.
Before
getting to work, the cadets were briefed on what to pick up and what to leave
on the ground. Garbage bags, wood, and
metal objects would be stacked in separate piles. They were also instructed on how far they
could venture away from the staging area to pick up trash. The cadets were divided into two groups and
started at opposite ends of the designated area, armed with garbage bags and
gloves. An ATV with a loading trailer
was also assigned to each group. When
the trailer was full, the adult volunteer would drive over to the landfill and
dump all the garbage. The large pieces
of wood would stay behind and be used for a cadet bonfire later in the year. While the cadets walked over to their areas, I
assisted in the pitching of a white tent that would serve as a temporary
kitchen, and as a shelter in case the weather turned sour. Ropes and heavy rocks were used to secure the
tent in place.
Wearing
garden gloves and carrying a yellow garbage bag, I started picking up all the
various pieces of garbage on the ground. I was surprised by what I found. There were chips bags, large plastic wrapping
sheets, torn garbage bags, various items of clothing, shoes, toys, a rubber
tire, two motor oil bottles (still full), and a working soccer ball. The pieces of wood were from sealift crates
and qamutiks. I was surprised to see a
small broken boat. In the distance, I
could see rusted oil drums being loaded onto the ATV trailers.
We
had a short but well deserved hot chocolate break. The hot water was prepared in a steel pot on
a Coleman stove.
The Road to Victor Bay. |
Everyone
continued with the cleanup and the shoreline looked more and more natural. By the time lunch rolled around, I had filled
five garbage bags on my own, and there was enough collected wood to have a
bonfire for several days. While lunch
was being prepared, the cadets played with the soccer ball I had found.
A portion of the amount of garbage and wood that had been collected. |
Cadets eating 'delicious' IMPs. |
Lunch
consisted of IMPs, the Canadian version of America's Meals Ready to Eat
(MREs). Depending on who you talk to,
IMPs are either loved or hated. When I
was an army cadet, I preferred IMPs to mess food. A Coleman stove is required to cook the main
course which is enclosed in an aluminum bag.
I forget what the selections were but I remember my meal was beef &
vegetables. Before the IMPs were served,
all matches were removed from the bags - we can't have kids playing with
matches. While eating their main meals,
the cadets traded the other goodies in the IMP bags. The adults and I reminded the cadets of
the golden rule of IMPs: don't throw away your spoon. You never know when you may need it for hot
chocolate or juice.
The Cliffs. |
By
the time lunch concluded, it was time to call it a day. The shoreline looked pristine compared to
when we first arrived. Everyone posed
for a corps photo in front of the piles of garbage and wood. The remaining garbage bags were be dropped
off at the landfill while the discarded pieces of wood, and a round wooden table were left behind. The bonfire event in October would be big. The white tent was taken down and packed onto one of the ATV loaders.
The Wood Pile. |
To
avoid the mud patch along the way, the cadets who weren't wearing boots
were given a ride back to the airport's parking lot. The remaining cadets and I walked back. Everyone posed for one more group photo
before climbing into the back of the two red pickup trucks. We were driven to the CO's house where Irene
had prepared hot chocolate for the cadets and adult staff. I chose to forgo the option because I had
work to correct and lessons to prepare for Monday. In the end, it was a day well spent. The residents of Arctic Bay were grateful that
the cadets took time out of their Saturday to tidy up the area behind the
airport.
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