PORT TOWNSEND — Whatever the weather, Fort Worden State Park will be the setting for a variety of earth-conscious activities this holiday weekend: a trail crew outing, a Repair Drop-Off and the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service.
Saturday morning, the Friends of Fort Worden State Park trail team invites volunteers to join in a work party from 9:30 a.m. until noon. Details about the organization and its efforts to care for the 432-acre park can be found at www.fwfriends.org.
Will Barrett, a member of the Friends, arrived in Port Townsend in 2017 and, on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, connected with the organization via a Day of Service event much like the one happening this Monday.
From noon until 3 p.m., people of all ages are welcome to participate in a shoreline restoration project — specifically, pulling invasive European beach grass.
“That’s how I got hooked in to the Day of Service,” Barrett said.
The Friends of Fort Worden collaborate with the Port Townsend Marine Science Center on the January outing. This year’s is the 10th annual, and it will happen rain or shine, added Malaika Rosenfeld, an AmeriCorps member at the center.
“It could be a lovely three hours,” if the weather cooperates, she quipped.
“We have a mishmash of tools,” Rosenfeld said, thanks to the Native Plant Society, while participants who have their own shovels and pitchforks are encouraged to bring them.
Sturdy gloves are advised too.
The meeting point at noon Monday is the marine science center museum portico at 532 Battery Way, facing the beach at Fort Worden.
To sign up and find out more, contact Rosenfeld’s colleague Erin Merklein at emerklein@ptmsc.org or 360-385-5582, ext. 113.
Also Saturday, the Port Townsend Marine Science Center will host the first Repair Drop-Off of the year. This event, in which people bring clothing, lamps and other items needing repair, is already full, said center outreach coordinator Mandi Johnson.
Another drop-off is planned for 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Feb. 19, she noted, and people can register items for repair at www.ptmsc.org via the Calendar link; go to Feb. 19 to access the form.
“I have a fairly small crew of volunteers repairing things right now so our capacity is about 30 items,” Johnson said Tuesday.
People with skills in electrical repair, copy editing and sewing can find out about joining the squad of volunteer fixers by contacting Johnson at mjohnson@ptmsc.org or 360-385-5582, ext. 115.
Lamps and CD players are among the most common items needing to be fixed, Johnson said. Her team also works on vacuum cleaners, clothing that needs patching or hemming, and even resumes that need wordsmithing.
Items for the Repair Drop-Off should be portable enough for one person to carry them. The volunteer fixers do not work on microwave ovens, gas engines, bicycles or anything that’s leaking oil or ink.
In most cases, repaired items are ready for pickup in about a month. The marine science center hopes to hold an in-person Repair Cafe in March, Johnson noted.
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Jefferson County senior reporter Diane Urbani de la Paz can be reached at 360-417-3509 or durbanidelapaz@peninsula dailynews.com.
