Jessica Peters
The Observer
RCMP stepped up enforcement in Harrison Hot Springs over the May long weekend, but it seems that still wasn’t enough to deter partiers from trashing the lakeside.
Photos have surfaced on Facebook depicting a large mess left at Wood Lake, about 15 km up the west side of Harrison Lake.
Tents, piles of bagged and loose trash, food items and camping gear have all been left behind, something that has infuriated fellow campers and outdoor enthusiasts.
Mat Irvine posted on the Four Wheel Drive Association of BC Facebook page that the mess was reportedly left behind by a grad class, and some speculate that the camping party was as large 300 people.
He called it a “sad sad state,” and it’s one that has plagued parks across the province over the long weekend. The B.C. Conservation Office confirmed that partiers at Headwater Lake No. 1, near Peachland, left behind a mess that included a dead and poorly-skinned beaver. That office is appealing to anyone with information regarding the vandalism to report any details.
Many people have said they will visit the area to clean it up this weekend, paying to dump the garbage properly out of their own pockets.
Wood Lake is a very small body of water on the west side of Harrison Lake, almost directly across from the south tip of Long Island, with access from Weaver Creek Road.
