West Seattle, Washington
16 Thursday
Today, we start the daily preview with three traffic alerts/reminders:
VIADUCT CLOSED AGAIN TODAY: The Alaskan Way Viaduct and Highway 99 south to the West Seattle Bridge are closed again today, scheduled to reopen early Monday. From the Battery Street Tunnel north to Valley Street, 99 is scheduled to remain closed until early Wednesday. Above is the “live” camera from a stretch of 99 where concrete-repair work is continuing; WSDOT posted an update Saturday on how things are going so far (it also includes maps and specific traffic reminders).
FERRY NOTE: Washington State Ferries is expecting extra traffic on the Fauntleroy-Vashon run today, particularly motorcycles, because of events on the island.
ROAD CLOSURE FOR ALKI BEACH 5K: Alki Avenue SW will be closed along the usual 5K route until about 11 am today, with more than 1,000 runners and walkers expected to participate in the Alki Beach 5K, benefiting Northwest Hope and Healing, which helps breast-cancer patients.
Warrior Marathon Runner Carol Dellinger will be there for inspiration. Last-minute signups are open now by the Alki Bathhouse. Race starts around 9 am.
Also happening today:
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: Fresh local food and beverages, as always, 10 am-2 pm. (44th/Alaska)
DIY BIKES: Noon-4 pm, free bicycle repairs at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center; also accepting donated bikes to be fixed up. More at diybikes.org. (4408 Delridge Way SW)
TOUR THE ALKI POINT LIGHTHOUSE: Second-to-last weekend this summer to enjoy a free tour of historic Alki Point Lighthouse with US Coast Guard Auxiliary volunteers, 1-4 pm. (3201 Alki SW)
‘YOU’RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN’ MATINEE: 3 pm today is the final performance of the ArtsWest youth-conservatory production of “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown“; tickets online here. (4711 California SW)
OPEN-MICROPHONE JAM: Every Sunday night in August at Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor), hosted by Lynn Sorensen – just show up with your voice and/or instrument starting at 7:30 pm – details in our calendar listing. (6451 California SW)
MORE … for today/tonight – browse our calendar.
Congratulations to West Seattle athlete Tom Donohue for his victories at the USA Cycling National Track Championships, which continue through tomorrow on the Eastside. The report and photos are by proud wife Lisa Donohue:
Fauntleroy resident Tom Donohue earned his 2nd Gold medal Saturday at the USA Cycling National Track Championships at Marymoor Velodrome in Redmond. Tom slayed the competition in both the Match Sprint and 500m Time Trial 50-54 year-old category. In addition, he also set a new track record in the 500m.
Tom is a member of the Cucina Fresca cycling team. You might spot him sprinting along the streets of West Seattle in his red and black jersey.
Tom will be traveling to the Manchester England for the World Championships this October. Last year he ranked top 10 in World, and hopes to make it to the podium in 2014.
You can see his 500m time in the results on this page detailing today’s highlights, and his sprint time in the highlights report from Thursday.
Full house at @WSMovies – with 'Frozen' in about half an hour – last WSOM of the year! pic.twitter.com/fTHLIZtI8p
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) August 24, 2014
It’s wall to wall in the courtyard next to Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor) in The Junction for this year’s sixth and final West Seattle Outdoor Movies presentation, “Frozen” – with movie time coming up around 8:15 (amazing how sunset/twilight suddenly get so much earlier as the season goes along). As requested, diaper donations for WestSide Baby have come in from moviegoers.
WS Baby also benefits tonight from concession and raffle proceeds, which are fundraisers for a different local nonprofit each week. Lots of sponsors make the series possible; PB&J Textiles donates the concessions each week, and we at WSB are happy to have been the media sponsor again this year. Every week also features spotlight sponsors for that movie – tonight’s lineup includes Bend n Move, which just led a round of Zumba:
Tonight also featured a free barbecue courtesy of West Seattle Christian.
P.S. Watch these pages next spring – we’ll let you know when movie host and emcee Lora Swift (above – of Hotwire and more) sends out the call again for movie suggestions.
5:42 PM: With the Alaskan Way Viaduct out of commission this weekend, the exits on the Spokane Street Viaduct – east half of the West Seattle Bridge – are carrying more traffic. That might be complicating matters now that there’s a four-car crash near the 4th Avenue South exit. Big backup on the bridge, according to the nearest cam:
(“Live” views are on the WSB Traffic page.)
5:53 PM: Multiple lanes are closed and an officer was just heard (via scanner) saying they’ll be closed “a while.
7:12 PM UPDATE: SDOT has tweeted that the scene is clear.
It took 52 minutes and 9 seconds for those four rowers to make the 7-mile round trip between Alki and Bainbridge during Sound Rowers’ Great Cross-Sound Race this morning. Their quad was listed as entry #1, and that’s where they finished. In second at 53:40, Megan Yount and Bruce Rolfe:
Finishing third and fourth, Evan Jacobs (multiple past winner) in 54:10 (right) and Robert Meenk in 54:31:
No immediate rest at race’s end:
Full list of the almost three dozen entrants and their finishing order is here.
Big turnout for the Duwamish River Festival, on until 4 pm at Duwamish Waterway Park in South Park! It’s a chance to learn about what’s happening on, in, and near the river …
… and to experience the river!
(Kayaks courtesy of West Seattle’s own Alki Kayak Tours/Mountain to Sound Outfitters.) There’s live entertainment too (see the schedule here) – during our visit, the Sounders FC band Sound Wave was performing:
The Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition organizes the festival; many organizations and businesses sponsor it (including WSB and partner site The South Park News). Check it out until 4 pm at 7900 10th Avenue South.
FIRST REPORT, 12:57 PM: A car-motorcycle collision in the 4700 block of West Marginal Way has police blocking the road, so avoid that area. No word yet on injuries.
1:17 PM: We’re at the scene; West Marginal is blocked just south of T-107 Park. According to emergency radio, the motorcycle rider is a 58-year-old man who is being rushed to Harborview Medical Center, and a preliminary description of the collision indicated that he was riding “at traffic speed” when a pickup truck “pulled out in front of him.” His injuries are not believed to be life-threatening, so they’ll be reopening the road after tow trucks arrive and clear wreckage.
12:32 PM: Seattle Fire crews are at a condominium building in the 5000 block of California SW on the south end of The Junction for a “fire in building” call. The street is shut down at the scene.
They’re finding light smoke but still looking for its source. More shortly.
12:46 PM: Our crew on scene has talked to the incident commander, who says the fire was traced to a dryer. No injuries. California SW shouldn’t be closed too much longer, maybe 20 minutes or so.
On the sidewalk next to the volleyball courts on Alki, you’ll find Barbara Clabots and other Surfrider Foundation/Seattle Chapter volunteers getting out the word to get cigarette butts out of the sand, as previewed here the other night. The ones in the container next to Barbara were collected from beach cleanups last year at Alki and Golden Gardens. Surfrider is trying to combat the widely held (and erroneous) belief that the material in cigarette filters is biodegradable – it’s actually plastic. They’re also offering businesses the chance to sponsor canisters like this one for ongoing disposal:
Out yard saling today? Here’s a fundraising sale to visit. Photo and announcement just in:
La Leche League of West Seattle is holding its annual fundraiser yard sale, bake sale, and lemonade stand. Items range from a giant Barbie to suitcases, toys, clothes, espresso machine, super-fancy ice-cream maker, infant items, puzzles, and more. Folks are invited to pay what they want, since it’s for charity. 5281 45th Ave SW, 10-3.
Find more listings in the WSB Forums‘ Sales/Deals/Freebies section, where you can post YOUR yard/garage sale, too.
We start today’s daily preview with a traffic alert/reminder:
VIADUCT CLOSED ALL WEEKEND: As detailed on the WSDOT website, the Alaskan Way Viaduct and Highway 99 south to the West Seattle Bridge are *closed for the weekend only* (reopening early Monday). From the Battery Street Tunnel north to Valley Street, 99 is closed for four days (reopening early Wednesday). Above, the “live” image from a stretch of 99 where concrete-repair work will be under way, among other things.
Now, all the reasons you don’t need to leave anyway:
GREAT CROSS-SOUND RACE: At 9 am, this rowing race presented by Sound Rowers starts just off the Alki Boardwalk, heads across toward Bainbridge, and comes back.
HUB AND SPOKE COURSE @ CAMP LONG: Two sessions today for adults and teens to try out Camp Long‘s challenge course, starting at 9:45 am – details in our calendar listing. (5200 35th SW)
‘HOLD ON TO YOUR BUTTS’: As previewed here earlier this week, the Surfrider Foundation will be out on Alki starting at 10 am to campaign against cigarette-butt litter, far more toxic than you might think.
ALKI BEACH 5K REGISTRATION/PACKET PICKUP: 10 am-2 pm at West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor), you can pick up your packet for tomorrow’s Alki Beach 5K, or sign up if you haven’t already (online signup is now over) and want to beat the pre-race rush tomorrow morning. (California/Charlestown)
DUWAMISH RIVER FESTIVAL: Noon-4 pm, it’s a free festival with boat/kayak rides, entertainment, and more, at Duwamish Waterway Park on the river’s bank in South Park – here’s our preview with the music/dance (etc.) schedule. Co-sponsors include WSB and our partner site The South Park News. (7900 10th Avenue South)
ALKI POINT LIGHTHOUSE TOURS: Second-to-last weekend this summer to take a free tour of historic Alki Point Lighthouse with US Coast Guard Auxiliary volunteers, 1-4 pm. (3201 Alki SW)
MODE MUSIC STUDIOS GRAND OPENING: Join new WSB sponsor Mode Music Studios for the grand-opening party featuring music and more at Skylark next door as well as studio tours (with punch and cake!) at Mode’s new HQ, 3-6 pm. (3805 Delridge Way SW)
K-5 STEM BACK TO SCHOOL BASH: 4-7 pm at the north end of Lincoln Park, all K-5 STEM families welcome – details and directions on the PTA website. (8011 Fauntleroy Way SW)
SUNRISE HEIGHTS STREET DANCE: Starts at 5 pm – details in our calendar listing (30th SW)
TYRONE IN CONCERT/SCHOOL SUPPLIES DRIVE: 5-9 pm at West Seattle Christian Performance Hall in The Junction, concert by Tyrone “The Working Class Hero” and school-supplies drive (folders, binders, pens, pencils and backpacks for foster kids) presented by nearby Unified Outreach. Details in our calendar listing. (4400 42nd SW)
FINAL ‘WEST SEATTLE OUTDOOR MOVIES’ – BRING DIAPERS! The sixth and final West Seattle Outdoor Movies presentation of 2014 is “Frozen,” on the big screen in the courtyard by Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor). Come early – while 6:30 pm is the official “gates open” time, there’s really no way to lock down the courtyard, so when it’s a hot movie, stakeouts might start sooner. Preshow entertainment will be courtesy of Seattle Balloon Arts – and there’s a free community barbecue too, courtesy of West Seattle Christian. Along with bringing your own chair/blanket, bring diapers! This week’s official community nonprofit beneficiary for concessions and raffle tickets is WestSide Baby. Every package of diapers you bring will get you three raffle tickets. Movie’s at dusk, around 8:30 pm. (4410 California SW)
TONIGHT’S LIVE MUSIC: Multiple venues – see the listings on our calendar.
‘YOU’RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN’ MATINEE: 7:30 pm is your second-to-last chance to applaud the young performers in the ArtsWest youth-conservatory production of “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown“; tickets online here. (4711 California SW)
As you make your end-of-summer plans, here’s one more note about city aquatics facilities – Southwest Pool (2801 SW Thistle) is closing for a week, from next Tuesday (August 26th) through Labor Day (Monday, Sept. 1st). It’s a maintenance shutdown, but it is concurrent with the final full week of operation for Colman Pool on the shore at Lincoln Park, so you’ll have that as a city-run alternative while SW Pool is out of service. (As of Sept. 2nd, when Southwest Pool reopens, Colman will be closed except for one “post-season weekend” Sept. 6-7.)
Story and photos by Alice Enevoldsen for West Seattle Blog
West Seattle’s own Highland Park Spraypark boasts an opportunity to bring science and math into the end of your summer vacation, painlessly and, in fact, pain-relievingly: while enjoying the cooling sprinklers. The entrance is on SW Cloverdale St and 11th Ave SW, just north of Highland Park Elementary School, and it’s open through Labor Day, 11 am-8 pm.
Depending on your kids’ interests and ages, pick one of the challenges below, don some clothes you don’t mind getting wet, and do the activity with them. If they’re a bit older (especially in the teenage range) and are embarrassed by your presence, you can give them one of the advanced challenges and maybe they’ll be tempted by a snack through Seattle’s Summer Food program, Kids and Teens Eat Free, located in the same park.
Challenge 1: Scavenger Hunt
Find all the planets!
Each planet is a circle of a different color, and has a bronze inlaid symbol identifying it nearby.
That’s an example – the Mars circle and its bronze symbol.
Teacher/Parent/Caregiver hint: The planets are not presented in order, and many of the circles are concentric, as if the planets are stacked on top of each other.
The designers of this spray park chose that this representation of our solar system would not label Pluto, the Sun, or moons and asteroids, so your scavenger hunt is for only eight objects. Here’s your cheat sheet for which symbol identifies which planet:
(NASA.gov image)
Note that the spray park uses a different symbol for Uranus:
Challenge 2: Measure the Planets
Optional Supplies:
Measuring tape, ruler, or string (you can also measure with footsteps, arm lengths, or the height of a certain child if you want).
A paper to chart measurements (print this)
Pencil or pen
Even the littlest kids can help measure the planets, but their measurements will not be accurate. Playing at measuring is a great skill for preschoolers and toddlers anyway. Older kids can be prompted to measure more and more precisely. If you have a mix of ages, bring enough rulers or tape measures for each age-group.
Measure the diameter of each planet, and record that measurement on a chart – get it here as a PDF.
How close is this model to being to scale?
How big would the Sun be, if it was to scale with these planets?
I have not finished my own measurement of the planets, so I’d love it if you’d post your findings below.
Teacher/Parent/Caregiver hint: This is the part where kids will get wet, so come prepared and revel in the coolness. If you measure in footsteps or anything other than a standard unit and you want to compare to a scale model of the solar system you’ll have to measure your child’s foot in inches at some point and multiply.
For instance, if Mercury is 5 footsteps across, and your kid’s foot is 7 inches long, then Mercury is 5 footsteps x 7 inches per footstep = 35 inches across.
When you get home, use this Solar System model calculator to see if this model is actually to scale, or not.
On the screenshot below, I’ve outlined in red the parts you need to complete the activity, comparing numbers to a scale model:
First, set the solar system calculator up by putting in the diameter you measured of one of the planets.
Second, click “Calculate.”
Third, read the values in the second-to-last column and compare them to the rest of your measurements.
Challenge 3: Be Creative
There are lots more circles on the spray park than just the eight marked as planets. If you wanted them to represent objects in our solar system, what would they be?
What do the spraying features represent? Are they related to imaginary or real features on the planets?
(Some of the extra circles in the spray park)
Teacher/Parent/Caregiver hint: This is an exercise in creativity, as well as some free-form learning about the planets. You can find plenty of space books at the library to fuel the imagination and learn some of the known features on each planet.
Resources:
Use Thinkzone’s Solar System Calculator to calculate a scale model of the solar system (full disclosure: This is my dad’s website; clearly, I come by my geekery honestly!)
Who is Alice?
Alice is many things and works and volunteers for a few different notable organizations, but the suggestions and opinions put forth in this article are her own and no-one else’s. You can find more about astronomy at www.alicesastroinfo.com.
Our latest West Seattle Crime Watch reader report is a case of auto theft, reported by a resident whose visiting relative was the victim:
My aunt’s car was stolen from the PCC parking lot on California Ave. this past Sunday (8.17) around 5 pm (she was in the store for only 20 minutes). A police report was filed right away.
* 1998 Toyota Camry
* Green – not the forest green, but a more bluish green
* WA License # – AJU 4715
* Scuffed left front fender from scraping white posts – large enough to be noticeable
* NPR sticker in rear window – right side
Please call 911 if you see it.
(Click image to open full-size PDF version of map)
SDOT is now more than halfway through the microsurfacing work in Arbor Heights (and part of south Fauntleroy), and says there have been some changes along the way (as noticed by at least one commenter on our previous story), so it’s revised the map. From spokesperson Caylen Beaty:
The original map we provided contained some mapping errors, so I’ve attached the updated version. As the work has progressed this week, the contractor has been providing correct information to residents and posting “No Parking” signs at least three days in advance of the work.
The work is on track and we anticipate it will wrap up by next Tuesday, August 26. Our thanks to the Arbor Heights community for their attention and cooperation as we work to maintain the residential streets of Arbor Heights.
The microsurfacing plan was first announced back in January, when SDOT explained that this process is now used instead of chip seal to refresh residential streets.
The entertainment schedule is out for tomorrow afternoon’s 9th annual Duwamish River Festival in nearby South Park (with co-sponsors including WSB). For all four hours of the festival, 12-4 pm at Duwamish Waterway Park, you can check out kayaking/boating on the river as well as booths featuring community groups/organizations. If you want to time your visit depending on who’s onstage, here’s the info:
12:20 pm – 12:40 pm Âu Lạc Vovinam Lion Dance Team performance
12:45 pm – 1:05 pm Trio Dulces- Afro Latin Band
1:30 pm – 1:50 pm Seattle Sounders FC Band: Sound Wave
1:55 pm – 2:10 pm Tlaloktekuhtli – Aztec Dance
2:15 pm – 2:35 pm Zumba – Fitness class
3:00 pm – 3:50 pm Orquesta Cambalache
The park is alongside the river at 7900 10th Avenue South (map).
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Dan Austin has dreamed of owning and operating his own restaurant/bar since he was 16 years old.
Since then, he’s spent more than half his life working in the food/beverage industry. And now his long-held dream is about to come true.
He is planning to open Peel & Press this fall at 6503 California SW in Morgan Junction.
You might recognize the address as Abbondanza Pizzeria. It’s been for sale a while, and its proprietors have been telling customers (and us, when we called) that they are closing at month’s end, but we didn’t know until this week that the space already had a new owner.
Austin says he gets the keys at the start of September and hopes to open Peel & Press after a month or so of remodeling. He and his family live nearby, in Gatewood, which is where we sat down to talk over coffee.
More pre-back-to-school events – this time, for K-5 STEM families, two invites:
K-5 STEM PTA would like to invite all students, parents and guardians of K-5 STEM to our 3rd Annual Back to School Bash taking place on Saturday, August 23rd from 4 pm – 7 pm at Lincoln Park’s NORTH END. We will be in Shelter 5 & picnic tables 60-84. Please bring a potluck food to share, drinks, plates, and utensils for just your family. STEM PTA will be providing hot dogs, veggie dogs, buns & condiments.
During the BBQ there will also be a Uniform Swap: Please bring gently used, clean uniform / spirit wear clothing- all extra clothing will go to the Uniform Closet.
New Student OPEN HOUSE
Please join STEM staff, teachers and PTA for a staggered OPEN HOUSE on Thursday, August 28th to welcome incoming Kindergarten and new STEM students. Come meet your teachers, tour the school and see your classrooms. Class lists will also be posted in the hallway for viewing at 4pm.
Open House Times:
1st-5th Grades: 4-5 pm
K Students: 5-6:30 pm
K-5 STEM will be sharing the Boren campus at 5950 Delridge Way SW with Arbor Heights Elementary these next two years, while the new AHES is built.
P.S. Thanks yet again in advance to the parents, PTA leaders, volunteers, staffers (and sometimes students!) who share big news here so we can help get the word out too – here’s how.
(WSB photo, looking southwest from Constellation Park earlier this week)
We’re sailing into the weekend with Friday fun ahead. From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
JOIN THE WEST SEATTLE TIMEBANK! 11 am, new member orientation at West Seattle (Admiral) Branch Library – read the calendar listing first for important info. (2306 42nd SW)
HANDS-ON ‘WEIRD SCIENCE’: For ages 9-12, 2 pm at Southwest Branch Library. (35th/Henderson)
DELRIDGE GROCERY’S FRIDAY FARMSTAND: The fresh-produce stand just south of Delridge Library is open again, 4:30-7:30 pm, promising, this time around, offerings “from apples to zucchini.” (5435 Delridge Way SW)
FINAL CONCERT AT THE MOUNT: 6 pm, The 85th Street Big Band, free live music on the south side of the Providence Mount St. Vincent campus. Dinner/drinks available for purchase starting at 5:30 pm. (4831 35th SW)
HIGHLAND PARK TAILGATE PARTY: Doors open at 6:30 pm, show your Seahawks spirit at 7 pm at Highland Park Improvement Club. (12th/Holden)
‘YOU’RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN’: 7:30 pm, the youth-conservatory production at ArtsWest is back onstage! (4711 California SW)
MORE LIVE MUSIC TONIGHT including …
*The True Romans at Salty’s (WSB sponsor), 5:30 pm
*Chad Knight at The Cask (WSB sponsor), 9 pm
*Roo & The Few at C & P Coffee (WSB sponsor), 7 pm
*Marley’s Ghost at Kenyon Hall, 7:30 pm
*Ted Dortch Quartet at Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor), 9 pm
*Three bands at Skylark, 9 pm
(Know of a venue with live music tonight NOT on the list? Tell ’em to send us their listings – it’s free!)
PREVIEW THE WEEKEND … by browsing our calendar!
(WS bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
It’s Friday, and that means the much-discussed Highway 99/Alaskan Way Viaduct closure starts tonight. See maps/times here. In general, it starts at 10 pm, but there are provisions for allowing vehicles onto 99 to handle departures from the Seahawks game – for southbound 99, the Columbia St. entrance will stay open until midnight. One more reminder – from the West Seattle Bridge until the Battery Street Tunnel, it’s only closed until early Monday, but from there north to Valley Street on lower Queen Anne, the closure continues until early Wednesday. If you’re taking a bus that uses 99, check here for reroute info.
OTHER WEEKEND NOTES: The Alki Beach 5K for Northwest Hope and Healing closes Alki Avenue SW for a few hours on Sunday morning. That’s one of the various citywide non-Highway 99 alerts in this roundup published by SDOT.
8:25 AM: If you are headed westbound on the bridge, a safety alert was just broadcast regarding an overhead sign in danger of falling. Didn’t catch exactly where, except that it was on the Fauntleroy Expressway section, and it’s going to be checked out ASAP.
Thanks to Greg for sharing the view of Thursday night’s sunset, with the sun peeking through. Right now, the forecast suggests we’ll see serious sunshine this weekend.
This year, Sustainable West Seattle members and friends headed into the trees for the group’s annual picnic, gathering among the food-producing plants at the Community Orchard of West Seattle on the northeast edge of the South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) campus. Before dessert time – which included the option to make smoothies with a human-powered blender! – SWS’s Stu Hennessey announced this year’s honorees. First, Steve Richmond, honored for his work with native plants and removing invasives – projects such as the wetland restoration by Sanislo Elementary – “which he does all by bicycle!”
Speaking of bicycling – tonight’s other honoree was West Seattle Bike Connections president Don Brubeck, not on hand, but lauded by Stu for his “mild-mannered” advocacy, and everything he and WSBC have accomplished in just a few short years.
Stu also listed some of SWS’s main projects/events this past year, including the orchard itself, where a row of trellissed apple trees grows – most made naturally problem-resistant, compared to a few on the north side that aren’t:
Apples were going into the cider press borrowed from the West Seattle Tool Library, also a SWS project:
SWS also planned and presented the GreenLife area at West Seattle Summer Fest again this year; other programs and projects include DIY Bikes, Tox-Ick.Org, Spokespeople, and West Seattle Meaningful Movies, whose next presentation, September 6th, is “Princess Angeline,” about Chief Sealth‘s daughter, an event also intended for support of and updates about the Duwamish Tribe‘s ongoing battle for official recognition.
Find out more about SWS at sustainablewestseattle.org.
Every time there’s a big cleanup at Alki Beach, we hear about volunteers collecting pounds and pounds and pounds of cigarette butts. Even one is too many, says the Surfrider Foundation, which is trying something new this Saturday – an awareness campaign:
For the last several years, the Seattle Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation has held numerous beach cleanups at some of the city’s most popular parks.
Even though smoking is banned on Seattle Parks beaches, play areas, and playgrounds, the cigarette filters continue to pile up at every beach cleanup and according to the Ocean Conservancy are the most common item picked up on beach cleanups around the world. A report from San Diego State University found that the toxins leaching from just one cigarette butt could kill a fish placed in a one liter bucket.
“A common misconception is that cigarette filters are biodegradable because they look like a paper product, but they are actually plastic and recyclable”, says Susan North, Surfrider volunteer. “The San Diego and Vancouver Island Surfrider chapters are already leading very successful Hold On To Your Butt campaigns which are cleaning up our beaches, cities, and streets.”
Their goal is to reduce local cigarette litter by educating smokers that butts are plastic and toxic to marine life. Surfrider believes it is important to empower smokers through education and also to provide smokers with ways to dispose of cigarette butts that are not a fire hazard. The chapter is working with Seattle Parks and Recreation by placing two ash cans at Alki Beach Park.
On Saturday, August 23rd, from 10 AM-1 PM at Alki Beach and in conjunction with the Alki Beach Volleyball tournament, Surfrider volunteers will hand out flyers and hold a beach sweep to draw attention to the amount of butts on our beaches. The campaign committee invites the public to attend and learn more about the initiative and find out how to sponsor an ash can.
P.S. Also on Alki this Saturday morning, the annual Great Cross-Sound Race, so heads up, it’ll be busy at the beach!
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