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Students help Slocan River clean up

On a cold, rainy, very wet Thursday in late April, two guides from Nelson Whitewater Rafting Company volunteered their time
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The crew poses for a picture after the river clean up.

On a cold, rainy, very wet Thursday in late April, two guides from Nelson Whitewater Rafting Company volunteered their time and teamed up with LV Rogers Secondary School ATLAS students to clean up garbage, litter and debris on the Slocan River by raft.

The float took place between Slocan Park and Crescent Valley Beach. The collection filled an entire utility trailer and two large bags of recycling.

The Nelson rafting company has committed in its management plan to help keep the river corridor and put-in and take-out areas clean and well maintained.  Working with the ATLAS students was a chance for the company to connect with young people in the community while working together to keep the area looking pristine for locals and visitors to the valley.

Throw bag and general river safety training were conducted in the morning by ATLAS teacher Graeme Marshall.

The ATLAS program (Adventure Tourism Leadership and Safety) at L.V. Rogers is an exciting outdoor leadership program for grades 11 and 12.  Students are able to gain a multitude of certifications in the outdoor industry while recreating in the local environment.  Students gain high school credit for this course and they learn a lot about themselves through a variety of challenging trips and experiences.  The program is currently accepting students for 2013. Contact Marshall for more information regarding the academy at 250-509-1333.

Nelson Whitewater Rafting will be kicked off its 2012 season last weekend on the Shenango Canyon Run on the Salmo River. This section of the Salmo offers class III & IV rapids, stunning scenery and is available until early July. The Slocan River Facchina Rapids Whitewater trips are available July 1 thru Labour Day.

For more information go to nelsonwhitewaterrafting.com.