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LETTER: Whiffin Spit environment needs special treatment

Weekly letters to the editor from within the Sooke community.

Each time I go to a beach I know to bring a bag with me to collect garbage. It’s inevitable that plastic and Styrofoam will wash up on shore.

However, the garbage I am finding on Whiffin Spit concerns me as it’s been left behind intentionally. Dog owners are actively choosing to pick up their dog’s feces, wrap it in a plastic bag and leave it behind. These plastic bags are littered across the trail and the ones that have yet to sink are floating on our shorelines.

Additionally, I think that the decorated Christmas tree near the end of the Whiffin Spit trail is a festive and fun idea that brings a community together, which should not be looked over.

But the materials used in the decorations have negative repercussions on our environment.

The decorations have been blown off in the wind up and down the trail and into the water. Underneath the tree is littered with fallen and broken decorations. These ornaments and plastics will be eaten by birds and other wildlife. These plastics are known to kill wildlife not just by ingesting it but by entrapment too. Maybe there are some alternative decorations that can be used next time? Perhaps we could use biodegradable decorations or even make hanging treats for the birds?

Sooke is known for it’s ocean beauty, together let’s keep it festive and safe!

Savannah Shambrook

Sooke