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Year’s first beach cleanup is Saturday

Chinook Observer - 2/1/2017

PENINSULA — Organizers are rallying the public to be active in 2017 community beach cleanups, including the year’s first one this Saturday, Feb. 4 which includes a soup feed.

“We would normally do a beach cleanup in January, but this year the tides in January did not offer water levels low enough,” longtime cleanup chief Shelly Pollock said last week. As a result, this Saturday marks the first organized effort this year to pick up the plastic garbage and other litter on the Long Beach Peninsula’s famous Pacific Ocean shoreline.

“There are no pre-meetings, agendas to follow, or wrap-up meetings to attend and no reports to complete. Just come on out to any one of the seven major beach approaches on Saturday morning at 9:30 a.m. and pick up supplies from our smiling volunteers,” Pollock said.

After the cleanup on Saturday, there will be a soup feed in Klipsan at the Peninsula Senior Activity Center, 21603 Pacific Highway from about noon until the pots run dry. “It’s a great place to see what’s been found and to share your findings with other fellow volunteers while enjoying homemade soups and goodies,” Pollock said.

Many sections of the beach are in need of long-term adoption by devoted cleaners. “Round up your family or friends and make up a small group to tackle your chosen section of beach each cleanup,” she said. “It’s always an interesting experience, can be good exercise in fresh air and gives you a feeling of accomplishment in the care of our beaches. Have some kids participate for an early taste of hands-on environmental stewardship. We have several long-term volunteers who do a section all on their own, too. Consider how taking some time just three times a year to keep our beaches clean is such a small price to pay for all the enjoyment they give us.”

This is the 16th year of these community beach cleanups sponsored by the GrassRoots Garbage Gang, a federally recognized 501(c)3 nonprofit, which is trying to create an endowment to sustain future beach cleanup efforts. Email Shelly@OurBeach.org for more information about Saturday’s event and fundraising efforts.