'Birds are threatened': Volunteers help clean garbage from Lockport shoreline

Manitoba's feathered friends got some help as volunteers were hard at work cleaning up their environment.

Volunteers hit the shores of the Red River on Wednesday, cleaning up plastic, microplastics and garbage that had washed up near Lockport to help protect birds.

"Birds are threatened. There's not a lot of habitat left for them, and so anything anybody can do to help them out and help them survive makes a big difference," said Valerie Norquay, a volunteer who helped clean the shore.

"I'm a fisherman, so I feel it's my duty to pull out as much fishing line as I can," said volunteer Cherylene Kentner. "And I think today I've pulled out way more than I've ever left behind anywhere."

The Manitoba Important Bird Areas Program organized the cleanup in an area popular with multiple species, including the white pelican. Marissa Berard, program coordinator with the group, said habitat loss and degradation from pollution is a big threat to many bird species.

"They're just really sensitive to changes in their habitat. And so by removing fishing debris and plastic and all of that stuff that shouldn't be there, we're basically just improving their chances of survival," she said.

The cleanup comes on the heels of a troubling report released by the federal government and Birds Canada earlier this month.

The 2024 State of Canada's Birds report found that while some species saw population increases in the past 50 years, others saw steep declines. Shorebirds and grassland birds are among the species seeing their population threatened, with grassland birds specifically being listed as a crisis.

“In grasslands, the number one threat to those birds is the disappearance of their habitat, of the place they need to live,” said Kyle Horner with Birds Canada.

Horner said more work needs to be done to protect bird habitats, and said extinction is possible for some species.

"When we see a great, great decline in birds, like in grasslands for example, that tells us that not only is there a problem with the birds, but there's a problem with the grasslands, and it's likely affecting other species, and ultimately could affect us as well," he said.

Volunteers at the cleanup believe events like that are important.

"My hope is that the more garbage I collect, the less that is eaten by wildlife, eaten by birds, eaten by fish, and other animals," Kentner said.

"We have lots of wildlife. We should appreciate it and look after it," said Tammy Moroz.