Central Oregon Coast Towns Band Together to Clean Up After Fireworks

Published 06/27/22 at 5:25 AM PST
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Lincoln City, Oregon) – Every Fourth of July, Oregon coast towns have to contend with the single largest inundation of beach garbage and litter for the entire year. The following day is almost post-apocalyptic in appearance along the sands, the result of an increase in litter and debris that begins maybe days before. These uniquely thick piles of burned out fireworks and day-to-day trash pose significant ingestion and entanglement risks for marine life.

That’s why several partners including local and county government, waste haulers, environmental nonprofits, community groups, and the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department have teamed up to host a series of Fifth of July Cleanups throughout Lincoln County.

The varied groups will host more than a dozen cleanups on July 5th. Most of the scourings will take place from 11 am to 1 pm. These on-the-ground scooper troopers will gather a wide array of beach access spots from Waldport to Lincoln City, including quite a few with that latter town. You'll also find them in Otter Rock, Waldport's Alsea Bay Bridge, Governor Patterson State Park in Waldport, Nye Beach, NW 50th in Newport, and more. Visit https://x.gldn.io/Surfrider_Newport_Oregon to find a cleanup near you.
Primary organizer of all these cleaning efforts is the Newport chapter of Surfrider.

“Even though fireworks are not allowed on Oregon beaches, every year our beaches are littered with fireworks shells and other trash generated by holiday celebrations,” said Bri Goodwin with Surfrider Foundation. “Until folks stop littering, we will continue to rely on volunteers to clean our beaches before the trash gets washed to sea or ingested by wildlife.”

Every now and then, you want the best of both worlds that the Oregon coast can offer. The rough and tumble of the beaches and maybe some wild waves, and then all the creature comforts of civilization not too far away. Or perhaps because even the nicest times of the year can be a bit moody on the Oregon coast: this can be cause to run and hide for a bit

However, down on the beach, after parking at the charming turnaround, you'll find a long, sandy stretch in either direction that's highlighted by nooks and crannies in the cliffs, as well as the interesting remnant of Jump-Off Joe to the north. Above the structure sit the spooky remnants of a condo once naively built on this shaky sandstone foundation back in the early 80's. It faltered and began crumbling just weeks before its completion. These days, this chunk of labyrinth-like concrete evokes castle ruins a bit.

To the south, there's the Vietnam Vet memorial, which features a walkway meandering up into the cliff. It's lit up at night by a host of lights embedded near the floor, with various benches along the way, perfect for that midnight smooch session as the huge, Yaquina Head Lighthouse blinks in the distance.

Fort Stevens State Park. Here, you can truly get lost in time – and in history.