The Rugged Coast Research Society unites surfers, scientists and more to clean the remote coasts of Vancouver Island. Photos & words :: Dylan Leeder.
“Does everyone remember the procedure if someone is impaled in the eye?”
“Donut!” responds one of the 13 people huddled around the fireplace of a remote cabin on Vancouver Island. “Make a donut of gauze and secure the debris,” is the quick (and correct) answer. It’s a fairly extreme question, but such an exchange is common practice given the nature of the expedition the following morning.
The group of staff, all outdoor experts of various forms, have gathered to help undertake one of Rugged Coast Research Society’s largest operations. The next morning, the assembled crew will hike, float and fly into remote coastal regions to remove caches of collected debris from shoreline cleanup operations along the outer islands of Vancouver Island’s western shores.
Rugged Coast Research Society started in 2017, when a group of surfers hunting for remote breaks along Vancouver Island became fed up with the amount of marine debris washed up on the coastline and began organizing cleanups. With a variety of professional backgrounds in outdoor-based careers, the group’s passion for the protection of wild places, combined with their “get-it-done” attitude, has inspired rapid growth for the organization. What started with simply filling their personal boats with flotsam and beach trash has evolved into a highly specialized crew with the equipment to conduct large-scale operations that feel almost military in scope.
Nowadays, these cabin-based briefings include a wide variety of technical experts, such as commercial dive teams and Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping specialists. Expanding the group’s expertise has allowed Rugged Coast to broaden their mission through underwater restoration, education, mapping and assessment. Additionally, their expansion has seen partnerships with like-minded organizations and communities throughout Vancouver Island as well as the Clean Coast Clean Waters Initiative, a provincially funded program focused on marine shoreline cleanup and derelict vessel removal in BC.
Also significant is the group’s strong working relationship with Indigenous communities through a combined passion for stewarding the lands and waters they share. Through collaboration and partnerships with a wide array of coastal Indigenous Nations such as the Mowachaht/Muchalaht, Ka:’yu:’k’t’h’/Che:k’tles7et’h’, Metlakatla and Hesquiaht First Nations, Rugged Coast and their Indigenous partners provide employment and skills development opportunities to one another, creating a mutually beneficial alliance.
Renny Talbot, a director and founder of Rugged Coast, explains: “It’s always flashy and fun to point to the approximately 800 km of shoreline we have cleaned and the 240,000 kg of pollution [debris and vessels] we have removed from the coast. No doubt, this has greatly benefited the nearshore ecosystem and prevented injury and death to a plethora of small and large organisms. However, the lasting impact is the creation of a community and network of skilled coastal stewards with a passion for removing marine pollution and taking action to protect what they love. These values and skills will be passed on, and I have no doubt that this will result in millions of kilograms of pollution being removed from the marine environment over time.”
“The lasting impact is the creation of a community and network of skilled coastal stewards with a passion for removing marine pollution and taking action to protect what they love.”
What is clear the night before the expedition is the scale and professionalism of Rugged Coast’s operations. Their briefing outlines the various helicopters and watercrafts in operation the following day, what procedures will be in place if unexpected weather leaves crew abandoned on remote islands, and the importance of the significant survival gear they all must carry. It all signals the earnest and exhilarating nature of their work.
Following the briefing, with the fireplace simmering low and the cabin full of anxious excitement, Renny proclaims, “Well, everyone, get some rest. See you all at 5 a.m.”
At oh-five-hundred the next morning, long before the sun is set to rise, the cabin is already abuzz as crew members throw on rain gear and double-check their equipment. Ignoring the pouring rain, we jump into the trucks and head to the boats to finally begin our mission.
09:00
After enduring more than an hour of navigation through rough ocean waters and relentless rain, the crew gears up for their arrival in Yuquot. Sourced through the generous donations of their devoted supporters, the landing craft is instrumental in transporting equipment that is then hiked to the designated landing zones, ready to meet the helicopters.
09:52
Having unloaded the landing craft, the team awaits the arrival of the helicopters. Utilizing the available time, they review logistics and ensure everyone is familiar with the procedures. With potentially threatening weather looming, it is imperative that all team members are informed of the variables and familiar with the protocols for evacuation should conditions deteriorate.
12:26
Helicopters are used to retrieve the piles of debris collected throughout the summer and fastened together into bundles. On the ground, crew members hook each bundle to a dangling long line as the helicopter hovers above. The precision of the pilots is paramount for the success of each pickup and the safety of the crew members below.
12:42
As one helicopter transports bundles of debris to the barge, another shuttles crew members between pickup zones. The day is a relentless race against time, with the team striving to collect 132 bundles before running out of fuel or daylight while oncoming rainstorms loom.
12:43
While navigating through limited visibility amidst foggy conditions, highly skilled pilots land on small, remote beaches often barely spacious enough for their propellers to safely clear. With precision, each pilot flies with hundreds of pounds suspended beneath the helicopter, then drops the payload onto a moving barge amidst rough waters.
14:43
Jenelle, project lead and operations manager, and Renny, co-founder and director, receive news from the helicopter pilots that, due to incoming fog and hazardous flying conditions, they must terminate the mission earlyand quickly evacuate all volunteers from the remote beaches. Everyone was safely airlifted.
17:22
Returning to the trucks at sunset, the crew gathers their gear, marking the end of a successful mission. Despite being cut short by rain and fog, the team still managed to collect 96 of 132 bundles and, before arriving home, had already made arrangements to collect the rest the following week. Ultimately, for this one project, 180 bundles weighing in at 20,353 kg (44,870 pounds) were collected across 370 km of shoreline.
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