ESKASONI — A youth-led program is hoping a recent awareness campaign encourages more people to take a hands-on approach to keeping the Bras d'Or region clean.
“We want people to get out and get out on the shores of the Bras d'Or Lake and see the beauty of it,” said Tracy Marshall, youth co-ordinator for CEPI (Collaborative Environmental Planning Initiative) Youth, an organization dedicated to keeping the Bras d'Or Lake healthy.
The organization is prompting its third awareness event leading up to World Ocean Day, June 8. They are encouraging artists, 35 years and younger, to submit an art piece inspired by the Bras d'Or. Artists can sing, dance, submit beadwork, paint, draw or submit photos, for a chance to win a $100 gift card.
“I'm just hoping people will learn to appreciate the Bras d'Or more,” said Marshall.
She says the Bras d'Or Lake has meant a lot to her. She grew up in Potlotek First Nation and remembers learning to swim there, catching her first fish in its waters, and now she's teaching her son those same things.
“He caught his first fish there a few years ago and he's learning to swim at the first beach that I did,” said Marshall.
She said her family's history with the water stretches back at least seven generations and she hopes more people take responsibility in keeping it clean.
Marshall said the health of the Bras d'Or Lake is relatively good but there are some species at risks, like the American eel, the Atlantic salmon and the American marten among others. The focus of a previous awareness campaign was to identify nine at-risk species. The first one was a garbage cleanup and repurposing campaign.
"I'm hoping that they become more passionate about keeping the Bras d'Or beautiful,” said Marshall.
The art pieces must be submitted by noon on June 8 and the team wants to encourage young people to utilize their artistic gifts and possibly develop businesses around those gifts.
“We hope to encourage more people to embrace their artistic side,” said Marshall.
Once completed CEPI Youth hopes to make the artworks into a digital storybook with the help of Lets Sprout.