Cobourg recognizes Blue Dot Northumberland with donation

Photo courtesy of the Town of Coburg.

By Cecilia Nasmith

The Town of Cobourg took a moment at its December council meeting to recognize Blue Dot Northumberland's partnership at this year's Great Lakes Coastal Cleanup with $3,000 in partnership funding from the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative.

The announcement acknowledged Blue Dot's key role in the success of the event in recruiting volunteers through its strong network of supporters, assisting with the selection and co-ordination of four clean-up sites, and providing on-the-ground support to volunteers as well as data-collection efforts.

“I am pleased to have the opportunity to publicly thank Blue Dot Northumberland for their incredible support during the inaugural Great Lakes Coastal Cleanup,” Mayor Lucas Cleveland stated.

“I am also grateful to the Cities Initiative for providing this partnership funding, which helped us make an even greater positive environmental impact in our community.”

The event took place Sunday, Sept. 28, when the town became one of six participating Ontario communities. Thanks to the dedication of local volunteers, more than 1,200 pieces of plastic and other litter were removed from Cobourg's shoreline. 

Among the six communities – Thunder Bay, Chatham-Kent, Owen Sound, Collingwood and Kingston in addition to Cobourg – more than 415 volunteers collected and catalogued some 200 kg. of litter from the shoreline areas along Lakes Superior, Huron, Erie and Ontario as well as the St. Lawrence River.

The timing of the event meant it took place on World Rivers Day, highlighting the importance of protecting and maintaining healthy waterways.