Registration is open now for volunteers who want to participate in the 2017 International Coastal Cleanup on Sept. 16.
Volunteers can select from among 16 beaches on the Strait of Juan de Fuca — all considered easily accessible — and 22 Pacific Coast beaches from Neah Bay to Queets, eight of which are considered challenging.
Registration can be completed at www.coastsavers.org. The website also has information about when to check-in, what beaches will be cleaned and where to camp.
Of special note this year is that the Strait beaches will be cleaned in the morning and the outer coastal beaches will be cleaned in the afternoon because of the timing of the tides, said Jon Schmidt of Sequim, coordinator of Washington CoastSavers.
Check-in will be from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on the Pacific Coast beaches, but 9 a.m. to noon on the Strait beaches.
The International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) is a global cleanup effort organized by the Ocean Conservancy with coordinators in some 100 nations and 36 states. Washington CoastSavers serves as cleanup coordinators in Washington state.
Last year, nearly 800,000 volunteers collected more than 18 million pounds of trash from shorelines around the world, Schmidt said.
“This is an opportunity to take part in a global effort to get trash off of our treasured beaches including many county parks, state parks and the Olympic National Park,” he said in a press release. “Be part of the solution to the pollution that is marine debris.”
Trash found at ICC events will be counted and included in an annual index of global marine debris to be released in 2018.
“The data gathered at the cleanup provides information that can inform policy solutions and identify target areas where preventative solutions will make the biggest difference,” Schmidt said.
Volunteers will have a special opportunity to recycle the hard plastics they collect in some locations.
Plastics found on the beach are often too degraded to recycle normally, but CoastSavers has partnered with TerraCycle to turn some of the material collected into shampoo bottles.
“This partnership really steps up our recycling game,” Schmidt said.
Surfrider Foundation chapters will offer food for volunteers at the Hobuck Campground in Neah Bay, the Three Rivers Fire Station at La Push, the Lost Resort at Ozette and the Schafer Beach approach at Westport.
Front-country camping in Olympic National Park at Kalaloch, Mora and Ozette campgrounds will be comped for registered volunteers Sept. 15 and the night of Sept. 16.
Back-country camping will be comped the same period of time at park beaches.
Also, Washington CoastSavers, in partnership with Clallam County’s Park Department, is developing an Adopt a Beach program, seeking to find small groups or families who agree to clean “their” beach during the Washington Coast Cleanup, the International Coastal Cleanup and at least one other time throughout the year.
At this time, beaches available for adoption include Clallam Bay, Pillar Point, Salt Creek and Freshwater Bay.
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 of the Lions Club International, Discover Your Northwest, Surfrider Foundation, Grass Roots Garbage Gang, Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, Olympic National Park, and the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission.
“Since 2007, their efforts have removed tens of tons of trash off the beach during the Washington Coast Cleanup which occurs in April every Earth Day weekend and the International Coastal Cleanup which is every third Saturday in September,” Schmidt said.
Said Olympic National Park acting Superintendent Lee Taylor: “The positive impact of this cleanup event is immediately visible and impressive. Olympic National Park is proud to support the work of CoastSavers volunteers.”
For answers to questions — or to adopt a beach — contact Schmidt at jon@coastsavers.org.
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Executive Editor Leah Leach can be reached at 360-417-3530 or at lleach@ peninsuladailynews.com.
