Washington Coast Gets a Beach Cleanup on April 22, Volunteers Needed

Published 03/30/23 at 6:55 PM
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Washington Coast) – Pacific Northwest beaches, as lovely and pristine as they are, still need a good cleaning now and then. The wrong stuff just washes up no matter what people do, but even people hanging out on the Oregon coast or Washington coast leave their share of messes behind. (Photo Oregon Coast Beach Connection)

For decades, there's been an Oregon coast beach cleanup twice a year. Only in recent years has the Washington coast created its own beach cleanup efforts in a similar vein. Washington State Parks and Recognition Commission, Coast Savers and the Washington Coast Clean Alliance will host the Washington Coast Cleanup on Earth Day, April 22.

This time around the event happens at 9 a.m. to noon, concentrated at nine state parks along the Washington coast. These are: Cape Disappointment, Fort Townsend, Fort Worden, Grayland Beach, Mystery Bay, Ocean City, Pacific Beach, Shine Tidelands and Twin Harbors.

Grayland Beach, Photo courtesy Steve Ginn / Flickr

Washington State Parks (WSP) teams up with the volunteer group Washington CoastSavers, putting together three mass cleanup events each year. Each time around, WSP said, there's more work to be done. The last three beach cleanups snagged 1,175 volunteers and scooped up over 61,380 pounds of trash and debris from the Washington coastline.

“For the 2023 Washington Coast Cleanup, Parks is also working with Washington Surfrider and the Grassroots Garbage Gang to bring in volunteers to support this effort,” WSP said in a press release.

The state parks involved will all have meeting points where you check in. They're found at these approaches:

Northern Shores: Chance A La Mer, Ocean City Beach Approach
South Beach: Bonge Ave Beach Approach
Long Beach: Bolstad Beach Approach
Port Townsend Marine Science Center
Chimacum Corner Farmstand
Shine Tidelands (due to the tides, the Shine Tidelands cleanup will take place 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.)

Volunteers should dress for variable weather conditions, wear sturdy footwear and pack a lunch with plenty of water. Upon check-in, participants will receive supplies to help them pick up debris; however, volunteers are encouraged to bring reusable gloves. The check-in station also serves as the dumpster location for marine debris after collection.

Visit CoastSavers.org to learn more about the Washington Coast Cleanup, view a list of all participating beaches and pre-register for the event.  

A Discover Pass is not required for vehicle access on state-managed lands on April 22 in recognition of Earth Day.

MORE PHOTOS BELOW

Above: Cape Disappointment's North Head Lighthouse, courtesy WSP

Photo Oregon Coast Beach Connection

Long Beach, Oregon Coast Beach Connection photo

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Andre' GW Hagestedt is editor, owner and primary photographer / videographer of Oregon Coast Beach Connection, an online publication that sees over 1 million pageviews per month. He is also author of several books about the coast.

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