Cleaning up after people has become an unwanted spring tradition for Rick Siemens and his neighbours.
Siemens has lived on Swan Lake for 18 years and has stopped being surprised at what people leave behind on the ice.
“One year an old car seat was left.”
Siemens and his daughter Cori Doorman are doing the dirty job this year by driving to about a dozen piles of burnt pallets, full of nails, and shoveling them into their quads.
“If we don’t clean it up all these nails and garbage will just end up in the lake,” said Doorman.
They are concerned that some of the nail-ridden pieces of wood will float which will become a hazard to boaters and waterskiers.
Between Siemens and his neighbours someone takes on the responsibly each year to make sure the lake is looked after, but their hope is that the people that visit the area will start to take out what they bring in.
