Join Alki Community Council, Seal Sitters for beach cleanup Monday

| How to help | West Seattle beaches | West Seattle news

From the Alki Community Council – a chance to lend a hand (or two) this Monday, 9 am-noon:

With the coming of warmer weather, litter seems to sprout from our beaches and parks. This is going to be a particularly bad year, due to the impact of Seattle Parks & Recreation’s recent budget cutbacks on park maintenance. Working together as a community, we can all make a contribution in the effort to keep our parks litter free.

In cooperation with AmeriCorps volunteers, the Alki Community Council and Seal Sitters are co-sponsoring a cleanup of Alki Beach. If you have some free time on Monday morning, you are invited to participate. The litter on our beaches makes its way into Puget Sound and has a negative impact on marine life. Beginning at 9:00 am, Kristin Wilkinson, NOAA NW Stranding Expert, will be briefing us on the hazards that our misplaced trash creates.

Be sure and check the Seal Sitters Blubberblog for more details and a photo of the stomach contents of the Gray Whale that stranded and died on a West Seattle Beach in April of 2010.

We want to thank Pioneer Coffee, Tully’s, and Starbucks for providing coffee. Seattle Parks & Recreation will be supplying the necessary tools and trash bags.

The Alki Community Council has an ongoing volunteer program with Seattle Parks & Recreation. The ACC “Friends of Alki Beach” are responsible for picking up litter in Alki Park between 59th Ave SW and 63rd Ave SW. If you would like more information on this program or the cleanup event on Monday, please contact Larry Carpenter at 206-938-0887.

Service Dog Academy May 13, 2011 (1:01 pm)

Wouldnt it be great if we could train a whole bunch of dogs to clean up the litter by exchanging trash for treats? Theres part of me that wants to design a Trash for Treats class. Anyone interested?

Happy Tails To You!
Mary McNeight, CPDT-KA, CCS, BGS
Service Dog Academy, Seattle WA
Owner/Head Trainer
http://www.servicedogacademy.com
mary@servicedogacademy.com
206-355-9033

Alki May 13, 2011 (2:28 pm)

Why aren’t people being fined? If there were repercussions from doing it maybe it would decrease a bit. Same with dogs on the beach..

DF May 13, 2011 (5:14 pm)

WITH THE INCREASE OF OUR NEIGHBORS FROM THE SOUTH ,POPULATION NOW AROUND 15% I THINK IN USA AND PROBABLY HERE TOO IN WA., WE NEED TO START SETTING GOOD EXAMPLES OF THROWING TRASH AWAY AND ALSO GOING OUT WITH A BAG AND PICKING UP THRASH NOT ON A MONDAY WHEN NOONE IS THERE BUT BRIGHT SUNNY WEEKENDS. OUR NEIGHBORS TO THE SOUTH DO NOT ALWAYS ,AND I AM NOT GENERALIZING AND HAVE SEEN IT FIRST HAND, CLEAN UP AFTER THEMSELVES WHEN GETTING TOGETHER TO HAVE FUN. I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY THE LAST SUNNY DAY WE HAD AND PICKED UP SOME SPENT MAYBE AN HOUR FELT GREAT AFTERWARDS. BE A GOOD EXAMPLE TOO.

David Hutchinson May 13, 2011 (6:59 pm)

DF:
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Thanks for your interest and for taking time to be part of the solution.
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There is plenty of trash in Alki Park on Mondays following any sunny weekend. My wife and I live across from the beach and have frequently gone over with trash bags to pick it up. (This type problem is not limited to weekends. The photo above was taken in mid-June on a Thursday @ 5:30 am.)
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This cleanup, being co-sponsored by the ACC and Seal Sitters, has a dual purpose. Not only will trash be removed from the lawn and sidewalk areas but it is timed specifically to correspond with a -2.4 foot tide so areas of the beach not normally exposed can be cleaned. We plan on beginning at the west end of Alki Park where the private beach begins and working to the east to Luna Park or as far as time and the number of volunteers permits.
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It also takes advantage of an offer from a great group of volunteers from AmeriCorps that were available at that time. It is being coordinated with Seattle Parks & Recreation who will have other chores that we can assist with if the amount of litter on that day is minimal.