By Douglas Scott
The beaches of the world are about to get much cleaner, especially the rugged and wild coastal sections of the Olympic Peninsula and Grays Harbor. On April 25, 2015, 37 locations along Washington State’s Pacific Coast, including six locations in Grays Harbor County, will see an influx of volunteers with the Washington State CoastSavers. From Neah Bay to Cape Disappointment, and nearly every beach in between, hundreds of volunteers of all ages will gather to pick up the thousands of pounds of trash that wash up onto the shore each winter. According to a recent study, nearly one million tons of tsunami debris from Japan is still floating in the ocean, slowly making its way toward our shores.
Spending year after year helping to restore the beaches of Washington to their clean and wild state, Rod Farlee is no stranger to the event. Named the CoastSaver of the Year in 2014, Rod and the Friends of Olympic National Park have been focusing their attention on the 73 miles of remote coastal wilderness in Olympic National Park. As one of the more remote stretches of beach that the Washington State CoastSavers clean, Rod and his group of hearty volunteers were responsible for removing more than 2,900 pounds of trash in 2014.
As an expert on all things Olympic Peninsula, Rod explained a bit about the CoastSaver event, something he has been a part of for over a decade. He also provided some great advice for those looking to help out in 2015.
“Each year we have dozens of people who want to come out, and if we are lucky enough to have good weather, it is a wonderful opportunity to get out with a bunch of other people and with friends and clean up the beaches before all the summer visitors,” Rod explained. “We like to clean up the beaches before the influx of visitors in the summer and that is why Earth Day was chosen as the focus of the Olympic Wilderness Clean up 15 years ago. The event helps the region get a good start on the summer season.”
Cleaning up the coast each spring is a step in the right direction for the health of our beaches, our ocean and our way of life. In the northern Pacific, there is currently an area of trash floating in the ocean that is the size of Texas known as the Trash Vortex. With so much trash impacting everything from whales to microorganisms in the ocean, it is important that we all do our part to keep the earth and out oceans clean. For us on the Washington Coast, the majority of trash brought in during winter storms is from Asia. Luckily, the Japanese government pledges resources to help with the cleanup on our shores, even though they are facing their own waste problems washing up on their beaches. Trash in the ocean goes beyond boarders, and the CoastSavers’ events are a worldwide phenomenon.
While the issue of trash in our oceans won’t be solved by one single volunteer event, the popularity of the CoastSaver event is making serious strides in the region. There is, will be, and probably will always be trash on our beaches, but each year the beaches of Washington State get closer to returning to their original, natural state.
The 2015 CoastSaver Cleanup is for families, singles, couples and those who care about making a difference in their community and in the environment, as reiterated by Rod Farlee.
“Anyone can help out with this event. Any child who can walk or explore half a mile can participate in the cleanup,” Rod Farlee responded when asked who should participate in this year’s event. “Even if it is for just 45 minutes, it is great. All you have to do is choose the beach that matches your level of ambition and the level of time you would like to put in. Many of the beaches you can drive to, especially south of the Hoh River, while there are other beaches that may take all day to get to. The challenge is to collect as much trash as you can carry out.”
Registration and coordination is happening now for the 2015 Coast Cleanup. Information about which beach is best for you can be found at the CoastSaver’s awesome interactive map, as well as by contacting the group online, or by visiting their Facebook Page. In Grays Harbor, the main locations for coastal cleanup are from Point Grenville to the north all the way down to Twin Harbors, making for an enjoyable and productive day on the beaches, saving the environment. Whether you deduced to stay in our backyard and clean Grays Harbor, or if you feel like an adventure and want to clean the beaches along the Olympic National park Coastal Wilderness, the CoastSavers event is something we all, as locals, can feel good about and have fun supporting. With great conversations, amazing views and the chance to make a difference in the world, volunteer for CoastSavers in 2015!
