A woman’s purse, stolen 17 years earlier, is just one of the thousands of objects picked up by a group of locals cleaning up ponds and walking trails in the province.

As the snow has receded, the province’s trails are re-emerging, along with with a lot of accumulated trash and refuse.

Eugene Hynes of the Avalon Pond Cleanups group on Facebook says they love hiking along the East Coast Trail, but always take a bag along to pick up trash along the way. He says aside from the usual bags, bottles and food wrappers, they also find some more unusual items, like golf balls and Canadian Tire money.

He says they’ve found cell phones, bottles from the 1890s, and even a lady’s purse. The purse was returned to its rightful owner, after they tracked her down, only to discover it had been stolen 17 years earlier.

Hynes encourages people heading outdoors to bring back garbage and help keep the province clear of trash.