Okanagan group known for ridding the forest of garbage receives Conservation Officer Service award

The Okanagan Forest Task Force has received an important award from the Conservation Officer Service this morning for their efforts to rid the forest of trash.

Founder Kane Blake, with the group, said they received a special recognition award from Conservation Officers during a cleanup along Beaver Lake Road this morning, Oct. 17.

This award recognizes any organization that have performed an important service to the Conservation Officer Service and/or supported the service in its mandate, according to the service's website.

“It was heartwarming, it’s for the whole group,” Blake said.

The OFTF also announced the launch of their new website, which allows users to report the exact location of trash in the bush using a new feature.

The task force has roughly 1,800 members, and since its inception, has removed more than 350,000 pounds of metal scraps and garbage from the Central Okanagan backcountry, according to its website.

Blake said he started the group five years ago because he was sick of seeing “our backcountry look like a landfill and people not respecting the one backcountry we do have. It has become a full-time job but I also work at night time.”

There were roughly 70 people on site today helping clean up trash and nearly they filled a dumpster in three hours, he said.

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