Many locals and visitors participate in the triannual Beach Cleanup effort, held in January, April and on July 5th. The recent January cleanup was a resounding success and even offered sunny skies for the day as about 200 volunteers removed flotsam and jetsam from our 28 miles of Peninsula beach.
As Jackie Ferrier, Deputy Project Leader of the Willapa National Wildlife Complex noted, “We didn’t find anything too out of the ordinary. Lots of pallets, light bulbs, rope and floats. But we did see and document the dead Sperm Whale and dozens of dead Rhinoceros Auklets, puffins and grebes. We also saw plenty of live Bald Eagles, Peregrine Falcons and thousands of shorebirds (Dunlin and sandpipers). What a great way to spend the day both bird watching and giving back to the beach that we all love.”
This spring’s effort coincides with both Earth Day and Washington Coast Cleanup Day, on April 21st, making the cleanup extend the full length of Washington’s beaches, from Hobuck Beach just south of Neah Bay,to our own Cape Disappointment in Ilwaco. Last year, 1,158 volunteers helped during the state-wide effort, removing more than 23 tons of debris that included crab pot floats, plastic water bottles, tires, ropes, Styrofoam, carpeting, remnants of fireworks and discarded clothing.
Mark your calendar and join in on the fun. In addition to the cleanup itself, there will be a lecture the evening before, and a soup feed immediately following the work on the beach. Several local merchants offer coupons to participants as well, from free coffee to discounted lunch and other services.
To sign up to participate, visit http://www.coastsavers.org.
For more information on the local effort, head over to http://ourbeach.org.