Shi Shi Beach, Cape Alava, Second Beach: These are just a few of the places you can go during the annual Washington Coast Cleanup on Saturday morning.
The event, which drew more than 8,300 volunteers between 2000 and 2010, happens every April on about 35 Pacific Ocean beaches.
In the cleanup’s first decade, those volunteers hauled away some 277 tons of marine trash.
In 2011, an additional 23 tons were taken off the rocks and sands.
“This is an especially important year for the Washington Coast Cleanup,” said Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary Superintendent Carol Bernthal.
“The tragedy of the Japan tsunami has helped us, especially those of us living near the coast, realize how we are all connected across the ocean … and, we hope, encouraged many to take action to protect our ocean that we depend on for spiritual and economic support.”
On Saturday, cleanup volunteers will tackle a variety of tasks, from running check-in tables and taking collected debris to dump sites to hosting barbecues in the afternoon.
Many cleanup sites are inside Olympic National Park, and Todd Suess, the park’s acting superintendent, praised the unpaid workers who care for them.
“Volunteers . . . make a difference every day at Olympic,” he said. “We extend our appreciation to each one.”
