THUNDER BAY -- Juan Baztarrica is tired of seeing broken glass and garbage scattered around some of his favourite swimming spots.
In a last ditch effort to keep Thunder Bay’s glass filled swimming locations clean Baztarrica created a Facebook group called Thunder Bay Swimming Holes to draw attention to what happens when people bring glass to swimming spots.
For four years Baztarrica has been using his Facebook page to organize community clean-up parties to keep Thunder Bay’s swimming holes safe and clean.
“I would come to swimming holes and I’d see garbage everywhere,” Baztarrica said Saturday before attempting the glass pick-up at the Cascades Conservation Area.
“I just kind of thought either I can be mad or do nothing or I can be mad and do something. I’m still kind of mad, but at least I’m doing something.”
Over the past few years Baztarrica has inspired the swimming hole community to take part and help clean-up the overwhelming amount of glass and garbage that people leave behind.
With more than 2,600 members on his Facebook page Baztarrica believed his followers were ready for a challenge.
The Swimming Hole Selfie Challenged required participants to take a selfie of them at a swimming hole holding up garbage they picked up and post the picture on the group’s page and tag it #shschallenge.
The top three photos with the most likes received a $25 gift certificate from The Foundry, The Sovereign Room or In Common. First place also received a custom print t-shirt from Knife Fight Press.
“The community is behind it and I feel like if we keep going with it we have a chance to change it,” Baztarrica said.
He wants to remind Thunder Bay of how blessed the city is to have such amazing swimming sports in town.
“I just want to see these places clean, I don’t want the place I hang out at to look like crap.”
Baztarrica added that he has ideas for next spring and hopes to bring built in garbage dispensers placed around the swimming holes.
Baztarrica’s friend Matt Mckenzie has noticed that the Cascades are in worse shape than the rest.
“I know people that won’t event bring their kids here anymore because there’s glass everywhere,” Mckenzie said.
He added that the last time he swam at the Cascades there was a trail of blood from the swimming hole where somebody cut their foot all the way to the parking lot.
“You brought it in there, whatever you’re drinking chances are that it comes in a can too,” he said.
“There’s no need to bring glass to a swimming hole.”
Mckenzie added that bringing glass to swimming holes does nothing but creates a danger for everyone.
The crew has cleaned up the Cascades before leaving it spotless only to return the next day looking as if they were never there.
“There’s no park officials that come here to clean up. It’s up to us, the people who are coming here, to keep it clean,” Mckenzie said.
“People take for granted what we have here big time and I don’t think they appreciate it enough.”
