Man receives new paddle board for cleaning up shoreline

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“I wanted to help, but I don’t personally have much experience paddle boarding so I decided to talk to my team at Telus to see if there is anything that we can do to support him because we are aligned with the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup and Oceanwise, so I thought it would be a great fit,” said Telus Senior Sustainability Manager Colleen Dix.

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Nasipayko has been paddle boarding along Kalamalka and Okanagan Lake, picking up plastic and other debris along the shoreline since April.

His paddleboard has taken a beating since he started hauling trash a few months ago.

“I feel blessed, I feel totally blessed that so many people are supporting me right now in this project. It is overwhelming to try to manage but knowing that there is so much support is absolutely fantastic,” Nasipayko said.

He began documenting his journey on social media, showing the amount of trash left behind.

“This can’t stop, We’ve got to take more pride in our lakes, for our children, for the next generation so that we can all enjoy what we all enjoy, and this lake connects us all in so many different ways whether it is business, or a place of serenity, or a place to decompress,” he said.

Nasipayko, who works as a financial advisor, has removed debris from 25 percent of Kalamalka Lake so far.

“For me it brings peace to my soul and I’m just giving back to the lakes what they give to me,” he said.

His journey has caught the attention of thousands of people online, and has since garnered momentum in Kelowna.

“We’ve got a big paddle planned next weekend on June 8 which is Ocean Earth Day, and hopefully we can make an impact on about 50 km’s of shoreline there,” he said.

He launched the Okanagan 1 per cent challenge on May 20 to encourage people and businesses to clean up 1 per cent of the lake’s shoreline.

“I know that this is something that I can accomplish on my own, but it is going to take a long time, many, many, years so that’s why I’m reaching out,” Nasipayko said in an interview with Beach Radio 107.5 morning show hosts Brian and Rebecca.

Citizens come together

Kevin O’Brien, co-owner of the Kalavida Surf Shop said shoreline cleanups are much needed in Okanagan lakes.

He said The Society for The Protection of Kalamalka Lake applied for a permit a few years ago with the city and regional district but they were denied.

“It was back in the year of the floods so there may have been some sensitivities, you know a lot of debris in the water or something like that but we sort of felt like we are making an effort to actually do something on our beaches, by giving back.”

But he said the community’s support for Nasipayko, sends a clear message that locals care about their lakes.

“I think it is really cool that the citizens have kind of banded together for the society and now for Aaron Nasipayko, who has sort of taken the clean up thing to another level, and I think a lot of people have gone, okay it’s our time,” said O’Brien.

His company supplied Nasipayko with a custom paddle that reads ‘Keep Kal Lake Blue’ to thank him for his effort.