New Alliance Forms to Fight Marine Debris Along Washington Coast

Unified by the goal of combating marine debris along Washington's coast, eight diverse partners have joined together to become the Washington Clean Coast Alliance.

Founding members of the new alliance include the Grass Roots Garbage Gang, Lions Club International, Northwest Interpretive Association, the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, Olympic National Park, Pacific Northwest Four Wheel Drive Association, Surfrider Foundation and the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission.

The Washington Clean Coast Alliance aims to increase public awareness of the threats and causes of marine debris and will continue - and expand upon - the many successful beach cleanup events that happen each year along Washington's coast.

Volunteers like the Long Beach Peninsula's Grass Roots Garbage Gang, the Pacific Northwest Four Wheel Drive Association and participants in the annual Olympic Coast Cleanup have established successful annual traditions of cleaning marine debris off Washington's beaches. Plastic bottles, abandoned fishing gear, tires and many other types of debris float onto Washington's beaches, posing threats to birds and wildlife and detracting from the naturally beautiful scenery.

"We have a long history of volunteer activism to remove marine debris from Washington's coast," said Shelly Pollock of the Grass Roots Garbage Gang. "Over the years, thousands of people have removed tons of debris from our beaches, putting their concern for the coast into productive action."

Now, marking a new level of coordination between nonprofit groups, citizen volunteers and government agencies, the Washington Clean Coast Alliance will serve as an umbrella group for all Washington coast cleanups and will provide a variety of ways and opportunities for all Washingtonians to help care for the state's beaches.

"When I started the Olympic Coast Cleanup years ago, I could only dream that the idea would catch on the way it has," said Jan Klippert, founder of the Olympic Coast Cleanup. "Knowing that the annual clean up will not only continue, but will be unified with the many other efforts along Washington's coast fills me with great gratitude and hope."

Clean up events scheduled for 2008 include:

Longbeach Winter Cleanup: January 26, 2008
Longbeach Spring Cleanup: April 26, 2008
Washington Coast Cleanup Day: April 26, 2008
Longbeach Summer Cleanup: July 5, 2008
Operation Shore Patrol: September 20, 2008

For more information and to sign up for this year's clean up event, visit the Washington Clean Coast Alliance website at http://www.coastsavers.org

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