According to Ocean Ambassadors Canada, there are 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic debris in the ocean. According to Bowen’s manager of Parks and Environment, Bonny Brokenshire, volunteer divers retrieved some 7,000kg of garbage from the depths of Mannion Bay between 2011 and 2015.
Brokenshire gave a presentation to students from Bowen Island Community School (BICS) to kick off a day of ocean fun and learning led by the non-profit group Ocean Ambassadors spent time on Sandy Beach last Thursday and Friday. The group’s mission is to instill a love and respect for the ocean into young people, and also to instill in them the belief that they can make a positive impact. Carrying out that mission means a fun day of paddle boarding, picnicking and swimming on the beach – with some learning about ocean currents, water columns and plastics weaved in.
Part of Brokenshire’s presentation was a mini-history lesson on Mannion Bay: members of the Squamish Nation enjoyed the abundance of wildlife here, including the collection of shellfish on the mudflats stretching out from what we now call Sandy Beach. Later, many residents and visitors enjoyed swimming and playing in the Bay.
“Somewhere along the line, that sense of respect for the ocean shifted, and broke,” Brokenshire told the students.
For her, thought, this event was symbolic of a shift towards community connection and use of the Bay and Sandy Beach.
“It’s about socio-ecological integrity,” says Brokenshire. “This summer, Bowen Island Sea Kayaking had a permit to have their kayaks on the beach for the summer, and they ran their kids’ programs out of there for the summer. With this event, we saw kids spending their time there again, so it is really heartening to see that happening. There has been a remarkable transformation in the area over the past few years.”
