SEQUIM — Although 236 volunteers had signed up as of Thursday to help clean North Olympic Peninsula beaches in the 2017 International Coastal Cleanup on Saturday, some beaches remained orphans.
Many of the Olympic National Park beaches — including Second Beach and Third Beach and those around Ozette — had no volunteers signed up as of Thursday morning, said Washington CoastSavers coordinator Jon Schmidt of Sequim.
“For a shorter hike but maybe a longer drive, the beaches around Clallam Bay all need more volunteers including Clallam Bay County Park, Hoko River, Sekiu River, Shipwreck Point and Bullman Beach,” Schmidt said.
“The beaches around Neah Bay only have a few volunteers signed up. The iconic Point of the Arches has nobody signed up yet.”
This is Washington CoastSavers’ fourth annual participation in the worldwide beach cleanup.
Volunteers can select from among 16 beaches on the Strait — 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.
Volunteers also can check in that morning or afternoon at the check-in stations.
The timing of the tides will influence when volunteers report to work.
The Strait beaches will be cleaned in the morning and the outer coastal beaches will be cleaned in the afternoon.
Check-in will be from 9 a.m. to noon for the Strait beaches and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on the Pacific coast 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 coordinator in Washington state.
Trash found at ICC events will be counted and included in an annual index of global marine debris to be released in 2018.
CoastSavers has partnered with TerraCycle to turn some of the plastic material collected into shampoo bottles.
“Beach cleanups are only part of the answer to reducing plastic pollution,” Schmidt said. “We need a shift in the way we look at plastics in general. Are they cheap and disposable or harmful and last forever?
“Cleanups are a way to get people out to the beach to see the extent of the problem and perhaps change some people’s purchasing patterns or at least increase their recycling efforts.”
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 tonight and Saturday night. Backcountry camping will be comped the same period of time at park beaches.
For answers to questions, contact Schmidt at jon@coastsavers.org.
