NEAH BAY — Three kayakers plan to depart from Hobuck Beach today to continue a survey of beach debris on beaches and around cliffs and sea stacks along the more inaccessible sections of the state coastline.
The second leg of the Ikkatsu Project begins today, and project members will paddle the coastline to determine how much debris from the 2011 Japanese tsunami has arrived.
They also will seek to establish a baseline to determine whether the volume if marine debris is increasing, and if so, by how much.
“Much of the pristine Olympic coastline is inaccessible to foot travel, and, as such, the Ikkatsu Project is able to provide data that is otherwise difficult or impossible to compile,” said Ken Campbell, one of the expedition’s three members.
Campbell is an author specializing in the Pacific Northwest outdoors.
Jason Goldstein is the team’s cartographer and GIS specialist. Steve Weileman is a documentary filmmaker and photographer.
The three kayakers will travel 30 miles, from Hobuck Beach to LaPush.
“Much of the route will be within the boundaries of Olympic National Park and, although it is an area that is popular with coastal backpackers, there are many places that can only be accessed by water,” Campbell said.
The team is the same group that found what is thought to be the remnants of a Japanese house on a Makah Reservation beach in June.
The first leg of the expedition, which ended June 12, documented the flotsam that has come ashore on the beaches around Cape Flattery.
The team was granted permission to visit Tatoosh Island, just off the tip of the peninsula, and did a standing stock survey of the east-facing island beach as well as an “inspection and collection” on one of the pocket beaches on the west side.
Weileman is filming the project and hopes to release a documentary this fall.
The data gathering and sample collection are being coordinated with members of the science advisory team, including Dr. Curtis Ebbesmeyer, NOAA, and the Coastal Watershed Institute.
“Ikkatsu” is a Japanese word that translates as “united as one,” Campbell said, noting that debris from the Japan disaster arriving on the North American West Coast beaches shows the linkage between the two people.
“The vast expanse of the ocean doesn’t keep us apart; it is what joins us together, Campbell said.
The Washington chapters of the Surfrider Foundation are contributing financial support for expedition operating expenses.
Ikkatsu is affiliated with Global Adventure Guides, Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, Coastal Watershed Institute, The Last Wilderness, 5 Gyres and Essex Explorations.
Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arwyn.rice@peninsuladailynews.com.
