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Development of a Coordinated Strategy for the Washington Outer Coast Beach Cleanup and Debris Cache Removal

Pacific; 2007

Background | Partners | Benefits of the Project | Photos | 1-pager

Background

The Olympic Coast Cleanup is an annual, volunteer organized effort to remove marine debris from one of the most wild and remote coastal areas in the lower 48 states, the western shore of the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State. This shoreline includes the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary (OCNMS), the designated wilderness of Olympic National Park’s coastal area, reservation lands of the Makah, Quileute, Hoh, and Quinault Indian Nations, and the Washington Seashore Conservation Area. In recent years, over 750 volunteers have removed an estimated 20 tons of marine debris annually, mostly non-biodegradable materials. This massive volunteer effort has blossomed under the leadership of an individual coordinator, but without a detailed process analysis or a multi-party, coordinated planning effort.

With support from the NOAA Marine Debris Program, partner organizations participated in a collaborative and consensus-based process to develop a coordinated strategy focusing on safe, efficient removal of marine debris from this remote coast. The strategy identified roles for partner organizations, outlined goals, funding, and operational options, defined measurable outcomes and processes for annual analysis, conducted a safety analysis and developed recommendations, assessed the efficiency and costs of different cache removal techniques and propose site-specific approaches, evaluated seasonal timing of the cleanup effort, and evaluated monitoring of marine debris types, with implications for improved source identification and control/reduction.

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Partners

  • Olympic Coast Cleanup
  • Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary
  • Olympic National Park
  • Olympic Coast Alliance
  • Surfrider Foundation
  • Northwest Interpretive Association
  • Makah Tribe
  • Quileute Tribe
  • Hoh Tribe
  • Quinault Indian NationWashington State Parks and
  • Recreation Commission
  • Washington CoastSavers

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Benefits of the Project

With a coordinated, long-term strategy for the Olympic Coast Cleanup we anticipate that:

  • Impacts of marine debris will be reduced.

  • Coastal wilderness aesthetic restored on annual basis, consistent with National Marine Sanctuary Act and National Park Service Organic Act goals.

  • Safety and educational opportunity are maximized for a large volunteer effort.

  • Improved coordination of volunteers and partner agencies and organizations fosters a more positive experience and productive process.

  • National Marine Sanctuary Program’s performance measure regarding improvement of volunteer opportunities will be fulfilled.

  • Future funding alternatives and sources will be identified.

  • A model beach cleanup strategy will be developed that can be applied to other sites.

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Photos

One of many piles of debris collected from the Olympic Coast
One of many piles of debris collected from the
Olympic Coast. Photo courtesy of OCNMS.

Carrying a motley load of marine debris from Olympic Coast
Carrying a motley load of marine debris from
Olympic Coast. Photo courtesy of OCNMS.

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1-pager

Download the 1-pager handout (pdf 954KB) on this project here.

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This program is funded through NOAA's Ocean Service, Office of Response & Restoration, Marine Debris Program.

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