SEE RELATED STORY — Forks offers Trashion Show, film festival to herald beach cleanup effort — https://shareyourtake.store/article/20150406/NEWS/304069993
PORT ANGELES — Nearly 800 people already have signed up to clean coastal beaches April 25, but more volunteers are needed, said the North Olympic Peninsula organizer of the Washington Coast Cleanup.
Volunteers have been registering at www.coastsavers.org to work on specific beaches.
Included are beaches from Fort Worden to Bullman on the Strait of Juan de Fuca and down the Pacific Coast from Hobuck near Neah Bay to Cape Disappointment on the Long Beach Peninsula.
Of those 66 beaches, some — such as Murdock Beach off state Highway 112 and Dungeness Spit near Sequim — have proven popular, said Jon Schmidt of Sequim, Washington CoastSavers coordinator.
But others need more allies. In particular, the western Strait beaches from Twin Rivers west of Murdock up to Bullman Beach near Cape Flattery are lacking volunteers, Schmidt said.
“I don’t think we have anyone signed up right now” for Pillar Point and beaches east of there to Twin Rvers, Schmidt said.
However, “we welcome volunteers anywhere,” he said.
It is not necessary to register in advance but doing so allows cleanup organizers to plan logistics for the day.
“We want to have enough bags and burgers too,” Schmidt said.
Of the beaches on the map at the Washington CoastSavers site, most are within Clallam and Jefferson counties, with others in Grays Harbor and Pacific counties.
Beaches to be cleaned include several state parks, as well as miles of wilderness coast within the Olympic National Park and Native American lands, including some not typically open to the public.
“We are extremely grateful to the hundreds of people who give their time and energy to clean up and care for Washington’s coast,” said ONP Superintendent Sarah Creachbaum.
Last April, 1,100 volunteers picked up more than 10 tons of trash off beaches from Cape Disappointment to Cape Flattery and into the Strait of Juan de Fuca as far as Port Townsend.
“In a few weeks, we’ll know how much trash is on the coastal beaches currently,” Schmidt said.
“If registration is still open for the beach you are interested in cleaning, that means we still need your help,” he added.
Said Carol Bernthal, superintendent of the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary: “As anyone knows who walks our coastal beaches, marine debris continues to be an issue, long after the feared arrival of marine debris from the 2011 Japanese tsunami.”
The annual beach cleanup effort always falls around Earth Day, which this year is Wednesday, April 22.
“Spring is also a time when volunteers can help collect the debris that has built up on the state’s beaches throughout the winter months when storms wash it ashore and access can be difficult due to the weather,” Schmidt said.
Washington CoastSavers is an alliance of partners and volunteers dedicated to keeping the state’s beaches clean of marine debris.
Founding members of CoastSavers include representatives from the Lions Club International, Discover Your Northwest, Grass Roots Garbage Gang, Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, Olympic National Park, and the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission.
Others support the volunteer efforts by providing “thank you” barbecues, Schmidt said.
For more information, see www.coastsavers.org or contact Schmidt at jon@coastsavers.org.
