The Great Cleanup of the St. Lawrence and its tributaries

– Environmental groups and citizens from every parts of Québec will join forces a tthe beginning of June to remove the debris that are accumulating on the shorelines of Quebec watercourses.

This initiative aims to raise the public awareness about aquatic debris pollution and to promote a possible solution : the program

My clean beach. This program take the form of a toolkit that help to 1) organize a safe cleanup, 2) identify shoreline issues, and 3) learn about natural riparian habitats.

Several cleanups are already planned in different regions of the province. We encourage anyone who would like to participate in the Great Cleanup, may it be by organizing a cleanup or by joining one that is already planned, to visit the

www.mapropreplage.net . On this web site you can order your free printed organiser’s toolkit, or you can check out for upcoming cleanups.

The program

My clean beach was initiated by the Comité ZIP du Sud-de-l’Estuaire that still supervise the saltwater zone. The Comité ZIP Ville-Marie has joined the initiative later to adapt the original toolkit (created for the saltwater habitats of Quebec) to freshwater ecosystems and improve it by adding new tools.

This project is being carried out, in part, thanks to a contribution from the Community Interaction Program. Funding for this joint program, which is related to the St. Lawrence Plan for a Sustainable Development, is shared by Environment Canada and the Ministère du Développement durable, de l’Environnement et des Parcs du Québec. Fisheries and Oceans Canada also provided technical and financial support to the project.

For more information, you can contact : in the freshwater zone, Louise Morin, Comité ZIP Ville- Marie (514-934-0884),

[email protected] or in the saltwater zone, Françoise Bruaux, Comité ZIP du Sud-de-l’Estuaire (418-722-8833), [email protected]

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The Comités ZIP are not-for-profit organisations that favours the integrated and sustainable development of the St. Lawrence River on its territory. Their actions focus on involving local communities and on building consensus. The Comité ZIP Ville-Marie and the Comité ZIP du Sudde- l’Estuaire are part of a network of 14 others ZIPs that are scattered along the St. Lawrence River and that are grouped within Stratégies Saint-Laurent (

www.strategiessl.qc.ca).