Volunteers still needed for Saturday’s regional beach cleanup; new areas added to trash removal effort

Published 12:01 am Wednesday, September 17, 2014

North Olympic Peninsula volunteers have more choices for participation in the International Coastal Cleanup this year, with several areas on the Strait of Juan de Fuca added to Saturday’s effort.

Salt Creek, Freshwater Bay, Ediz Hook and Dungeness Spit are new sites for the cleanup of beaches from Port Townsend on the Strait and along the Pacific Coast to Cape Disappointment State Park.

“There are some new opportunities,” said Jon Schmidt, Sequim-based coordinator with Washington CoastSavers, now in its second year of joining the September international cleanup.

“These are all new,” Schmidt said. “We are pretty excited about it.”

Most cleanups are in the morning. In Port Townsend, volunteers — who can work for beer in a cleanup sponsored by the Port Townsend Marine Science Center and the Pourhouse — will clean up and collect data from

1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

To register, sign a volunteer agreement form and get information on what beaches will be cleaned, where to find registration stations to get supplies, where to camp and special offers to volunteers, visit www.coastsavers.org.

Volunteers will check in at most registration stations between 7:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. Saturday. Check-in at the Ozette Ranger Station also is between 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Friday.

Cleanup times will vary depending on the tides.

Cleanup is expected between 9 a.m. and noon on the Strait, with check-in at each of the beaches.

According to Schmidt, the Dungeness Spit cleanup has plenty of volunteers, including the Pure Country 4-H Club.

Ediz Hook has drawn almost enough volunteers. Twenty-six had registered by Tuesday, Schmidt said.

“The real need is on the outer coast” on the Pacific Ocean, he said.

“We have very few volunteers for First Beach, Second Beach and Third Beach [in LaPush] and for Rialto Beach [in Mora],” he said.

Only one person had signed up for Pillar Point near Clallam Bay, Schmidt said Tuesday.

Some 33 beaches are listed as needing volunteers for cleanup on Pacific Ocean and Strait shores within the North Olympic Peninsula.

As of Tuesday, 312 volunteers had registered to work, Schmidt said.

“I can’t say how many we need because there’s always more need than volunteers,” he added.

A lot of trash is on the beaches to be picked up, Schmidt said.

“This time of year, it’s a little unique. It’s not the accumulation of winter storms; it’s the accumulation of summer beach-goers along with crabbing and fishing,” he said.

Volunteers are “less likely to see long-range debris and more likely to find local trash.”

It’s a chance to “get out there before the storms come and spread the debris.”

Cleanups are “good to do any time of year,” but “it’s kind of special to take part in this global effort,” Schmidt added.

“We’re not only counting how much trash Washington state citizens are pulling off state beaches, but also our numbers are added to the global effort.”

Also, he said, “it’s a pleasant month to get out on the beaches.”

Volunteers are encouraged to register online to find out where the need is greatest and to find registrations station where, on the morning of the cleanup, they can pick up bags and find out the closest barbecue.

In Port Townsend, registration for the second annual Beach Cleanup for Beer will be at a table in the parking lot outside of the Pourhouse, 2231 Washington St., from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Participants will be assigned a local beach and receive materials to collect trash, plus data sheets to record what kind of trash is collected.

Data collected will be included as part of the Ocean Conservancy’s annual International Coastal Cleanup Day.

Volunteers with photo identification who bring trash back to the Pourhouse will receive one free beer each, compliments of Pourhouse owners Ned Herbert and Virginia Marston.

For more information, phone 360-385-5582, email info@ptmsc.org or visit www.ptmsc.org.

Washington CoastSavers is an alliance of partners and volunteers working to keep marine debris off the state’s beaches.

Founding members of CoastSavers include representatives of the Lions Club International, Discover Your Northwest, Grass Roots Garbage Gang, Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, Olympic National Park and the State Parks and Recreation Commission.

Since 2008, the group’s annual spring cleanup has removed about 350 tons of trash from beaches stretching from near Cape Flattery to Cape Disappointment.

Donations of money also are useful, Schmidt said. One dumpster costs about $1,000 to rent and dispose of the trash once it’s filled. The Washington coast cleanups typically involve renting at least 10 dumpsters for every event.

Volunteers who aren’t physically able to carry filled bags off beaches can help at registration stations,.

For more information, visit the CoastSavers’ website or email Schmidt at jon@coastsavers.org.