Earth Day 2006 — the 36th such celebration designed to put the spotlight on the planet’s environment — saw cleanup efforts on the North Olympic Peninsula from Port Townsend to the Pacific Coast.
Shovels and wheelbarrows were widely used Saturday on Water Street as part of the Port Townsend Main Street Program’s Earth Day event.
About 20 volunteers helped beautify Water Street by landscaping the many small plots of trees and vegetation cut into the sidewalks.
The work lasted from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
“If people pitch in and put in a little elbow grease, they get a sense of possession of the gardens on Water Street,” said Kate Dwyer, who helped organize the event.
“They’ll generally be more respectful and aware of the environment.”
Dwyer said Henery’s Garden Center, 406 Benedict Ave., donated hundreds of dollars worth of trees, plants and flowers, and said the Main Street Program is grateful for the generosity.
A great deal of gardening took place on nearly every corner of Water Street.
“It’s not just for my personal benefit, but it’s good for the community,” said Hannah Reese, who works at Fancy Feathers clothing store on Water Street.
“We in Port Townsend like to keep our city looking clean, cute and quaint.”
Not only were volunteers planting flowers and weeding plant beds on Water Street, but they helped tackle litter and painted park benches and picnic tables.
Peninsula Paints donated paint for the benches and tables in the historic district of Port Townsend.
Wild Bird Unlimited event
Another Earth Day event took place Saturday at Wild Bird Unlimited, 215953 U.S. Highway 101, Gardiner.
Christie Lassen, owner of Wild Bird Unlimited, invited various organizations from the North Olympic Peninsula that work to protect animal habitats to set up a booth and provide information to event attendees.
“I just thought this would be a good opportunity to get everyone together who does this kind of work,” said Lassen.
Donations were accepted for the Northwest Raptor Center in Sequim that takes in injured animals, especially predatory birds, but doesn’t receive any funds from the state.
Jaye Moore of Sequim, who has run the Northwest Raptor Center for the past 25 years, was at the event with some of the birds she’s taken in.
She said Earth Day ties in with her work.
“If we’re not taking care of our earth, these guys are not going to survive,” Moore said, gesturing to the barred owl she was holding in her hand.
Some of the organizations at the event were Bay Watch of Discovery Bay, which performs salmon habitat restoration; Admiralty, Olympic Peninsula and Dungeness River Audubon societies; and Jefferson County Washington State University Extension Service Water/Beach Watchers.
Two members from the Seattle band Janglebones played at the event.
The Northwest Raptor Center received money and donations, such as blankets, towels, bird seed and straw.
“The community has donated so many great things,” said Terry McKinley, who was accepting donations Saturday on behalf of the Northwest Raptor Center.
“It’s just overwhelming.”
13th annual Clean Sweep
In Port Angeles, volunteers with the Port Angeles Downtown Association spread out for the 13th annual downtown Clean Sweep.
Participants weeded, swept, washed and painted areas in downtown Port Angeles, essentially tidying up the area in time for the start of the annual tourist season which kicks off next weekend with Jazz in the Olympics.
The downtown association provided coffee and doughnuts for volunteers.
Earth Day also coincided with the annual Olympic Coast Cleanup, in which hundreds of volunteers removed trash from Olympic National Park beaches and other sections of the coast.
At Lake Quinault Lodge, volunteers cleaned up along highways surrounding the lodge and at Kalaloch Lodge volunteers helped clean up the nearby beach.
Volunteers at Sol Duc Hot Springs also helped clean up a nearby section of U.S. Highway 101.
