It’s difficult to say how many pumpkins are left rotting on the side of the road, Meg Toom says.
They are all blown apart by shotguns in a make-shift target range. It’s an eyesore just off of the upper Mamquam Forest Service Road, approximately 15 kilometres west of Squamish, the Squamish WildSafe BC coordinator said. But its more than that, she noted, the pieces of orange vegetables mixed with plastic cartridges have become a dangerous buffet for wildlife.
“When Halloween is over you can get pumpkins for free,” Toom said. “Apparently it’s common practice [target shooting with them]. There are bear bites and claw marks all over them.”
In an effort to ensure the wild animals don’t become habituated to human food and to keep them further afield from town, Toom and a team of volunteers will set out to clean up the five-acre site on Sunday, Nov. 16. The District of Squamish is waving dump tipping fees for the waste and BCParks is donating a one-tonne garbage bin. Anyone wanting to help out can show up at 9 a.m.
The site is within municipal boundaries, making it illegal, clean up organizer John Buchanan said. Firearms are not allowed to be discharged within the municipality; however he’s come across many makeshift ranges while hiking through the bush.
“It seems to be a common trend,” he said.
Last summer, while walking up the road from the current clean- up site, Buchanan said he came across a man shooting a semi-automatic Uzi machinegun. Buchanan turned around and quickly phoned the RCMP. While it’s not reassuring to come across such scenes, Buchanan said he is more concerned about the environment these make-shift gun ranges threaten than them being a safety concern.
People haul up old television sets and other garbage that belongs in a dump into the forest to shot up, he said. The junk gets strewn around the backcountry and pollutes the environment, Buchanan said.
“Be a good illegal citizen and clean up after yourself,” he said, half joking.
Those wishing to help out on Sunday are asked to bring a rake or shovel and gloves. The drive along Mamquam to the site is approximately 20 minutes by vehicle, Buchanan said.
"We're going to need help with this one," he added.
