SATURDAY, DECEMBER 26, 1987
COUNTRYSIDE CLEAN-UP WINS INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT
A GROUP OF HIKERS OF INTERNATIONAL STANDING TODAY (SATURDAY) LENT ITS SUPPORT TO THE VIGOROUS DRIVE MOUNTED BY THE AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES DEPARTMENT TO RID HONG KONG'S 21 COUNTRÝ PARKS OF LITTER.
THE 20-MEMBER GROUP FROM THE SIERRA CLUB OF CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES, CURRENTLY IN HONG KONG FOR A VISIT TO LOCAL COUNTRY PARKS
TOOK TIME AND THE LONG-DISTANCE HIKING TRAILS,
OFF FROM ITS BUSY
IN SCHEDULE TO TAKE PART IN A LITTER COLLECTION EXPEDITION COUNTRY PARK.
SAI
KUNG
THEY JOINED MEMBERS OF THE COUNTRY PARKS BOARD LED BY ITS
WAN, IN PUBLIC RELATIONS COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN, MR WILLIAM
PICKING UP LITTER AT A POPULAR PICNIC SITE AT PAK TAM CHUNG.
TODAY'S EXPEDITION WAS AMONG A SERIES OF LITTER RAIDS BY VOLUNTARY HIKING AND MOUNTAINEERING GROUPS TO CLEAN UP REMOTE HIKING ROUTES AND PARK AREAS AS PART OF THIS YEAR'S CLEAN AND GREEN SCHEME.
SINCE THE LAUNCH OF THE SCHEME IN EARLY OCTOBER, MORE THAN
40 6,200 PEOPLE, INCLUDING 1,500 HIKERS FROM
LOCAL HIKING GROUPS.. HAVE TAKEN PART IN LITTER COLLECTION ACTIVITIES.
THE HIKERS FROM SIERRA CLUB ARE THE FIRST INTERNATIONAL PARTICIPANTS.
THE 1987 SCHEME ALSO FEATURES FIVE OTHER ACTIVITIES CATERING FOR DIFFERENT TARGET GROUPS. THEY INCLUDE A POSTER DESIGN COMPETITION FOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS, A PAINTING COMPETITION FOR PRIMARY
WALKER GARDENS' COMPETITION SCHOOL STUDENTS, A TIDY MORNING
FOR ORGANISED GROUPS AND
MORNING WALKERS, AND TREE TENDING ACTIVITY FOR SCHOOL PARTIES.
SO FAR, IT HAS ATTRACTED 9,500 PARTICIPANTS, A NEW RECORD LAST YEAR'S ATTENDANCE OF 7,484.
OVER
IN VIEW OF THE OVERWHELMING
THE SCHEME HAVE DECIDED TO EXTEND FEBRUARY 28 NEXT YEAR.
PUBLIC
THE RESPONSE,
ORGANISERS BY TWO MONTHS TO LAST UNTIL
TOURED
EARLIER IN THE MORNING, THE VISITING SIERRA CLUB HIKERS THE SAI KUNG COUNTRY PARK VISITOR CENTRE AND MET WITH SENIOR OFFICIALS OF COUNTRY PARKS AUTHORITY
OF VIEWS EXCHANGE NATURE CONSERVATION AND COUNTRYSIDE RECREATION,
FOR
AN
ON
ESTABLISHED
IN 1892. SIERRA
COUNTRYSIDE CONSERVATION ORGANISATIONS IN
THE
CLUB IS ONE OF THE
WORLD, WITH
LARGEST
A TOTAL
MEMBERSHIP OF OVER 440,000.
12