High Spring Tides Postpone Oregon Coast Beach Cleanup

Published 01/27/2011

(Oregon Coast) – Normally, SOLV's Spring Beach Cleanup happens on the first Saturday of spring break in March, but this year extremely high tides are pushing it up a week or two. This time, it's been moved to March 26, happening at the usual 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

SOLV said high tide would have increased safety risks for volunteers including sneaker waves or floating logs. Every spring, volunteers brave Oregon’s March weather to clean the entire Oregon Coast of stray trash that washes up on the beach after winter storms.

“Volunteer safety has to be our top priority,” said Rachael Pecore, SOLV’s Beach & Riverside Cleanup Coordinator. “We apologize for any inconvenience that changing the date to March 26th might create. It’s clear that too many beach sites could pose safety risks to volunteers, not to mention that there would be much less beach to clean, and in some areas no beach at all.”

Robert Smith, Oregon Parks and Recreation Department’s Beach Safety Coordinator, asks that volunteers remain attentive to ocean conditions even though the new date falls during an outgoing, low tide. It’s important that volunteers pay attention to several things:

Volunteers clean up in Newport

- Watch for sneaker waves and use caution near rocks and cliffs.

- Stay clear of logs in the surf (it only takes 4 inches of water to lift a 5 ton log).

- Bring warm, work gloves and dress for the weather. It may be cold and rainy.

- Don't touch medical waste (needles, bandages) or any suspicious looking materials. Mark the location and report it to the Beach Captain when you return.

Additionally, during the spring cleanup a shorebird called the Snowy Plover may be nesting on Oregon’s beaches. They are a “threatened” species, so please take care to avoid them and their nesting sites - usually just above the high tide line on open sand.  Stay outside of any roped-off areas, and please keep your pets leashed.

The 2010 Spring Beach Cleanup drew out 4,500 people who removed about 70,500 pounds of trash. “The incredible dedication that volunteers bring to the cleanup to protect people and wildlife on our coast says a lot about who we are as a State; and it’s a State that I’m proud to be a part of,” said Melisa McDonald, SOLV’s Executive Director.

Winter storms tend to kick up more trash to beaches in spring than in the fall so thousands of volunteers are needed to join in the cleanup effort. Online registration will open on February 1st at www.solv.org/programs/spring_beach_cleanup.asp, or people can call SOLV at 503-844-9571. Volunteers should dress for inclement weather, bring a reusable container for drinking water, a reusable bag or bucket for collecting trash, and a colander for sifting small pieces of plastic from the sand along the tide lines.

To date, The Spring Beach Cleanup sponsors include Fred Meyer, Tektronix, the City of Yachats and SOLV members.  The Oregon Department of Parks and Recreation is a Coordinating Sponsor as well as the Local Coast Haulers which include: Central Coast Disposal, City Sanitary, County Transfer & Recycling, Dahl Disposal, Nestucca Valley Sanitary Service, North Lincoln Sanitary Service, Southern Oregon Sanitation, Thompson’s Sanitary Service, and Western Oregon Waste.

SOLV was founded in 1969 and was among the first group in the nation to pioneer volunteer beach cleanups. SOLV’s mission is to bring Oregonians together to improve the environment and build a legacy of stewardship. 

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