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Volunteers receive training and encouragement...
while learning about our local waterways.
L-R: Tracy Chellis, Jackie Aitchehson, Elizabeth Hutley, two US Navy Volunteers from the USS Abraham Lincoln, and Kathleen Barrantes
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How much money is available for this program? The answer has increasingly become… MUCH less or cut altogether.
From monitoring, to assessments and shoreline inventories, to watershed planning councils, to restoration activities – participation at all levels will be “calling all volunteers” to jump in and fill the holes the budget has left gaping.
In recent years, ambitious programs to monitor and restore degraded Puget Sound estuaries, rivers, streams, and waterways were making huge strides. Dynamic partnerships were built between local, state, and federal agencies, stakeholders and environmental groups to monitor and reverse the destruction caused by decades of reckless development and pollution.
The Puget Sound Nearshore Restoration Project, led by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in partnership with the Puget Sound Action Team and other state/federal agencies, had funds slashed by more than half.
Last month, the Department of Ecology met with communities all over the Puget Sound to launch a comprehensive beach-monitoring program, led by oceanographer Jan Newton and ecologist Lynn Schneider. After a more than one-year pilot working with health districts and local agencies the program was expected to receive funding beyond the initial phase. Members of the audience voiced disappointment over the underfunding. “Well, we will be stretched thin — all the more reason to include volunteer efforts,” Newton implored.
Now cash-poor, these programs are looking for that “army of volunteers” and public interest to fuel the charge to continue… or lose the gains we have worked so hard to achieve.
Mike Shepherd, Bremerton City Councilman and EPA Region X coordinator, who has been active and supportive of clean-up efforts all over Kitsap County offered up some ideas to “corral the troops” and network volunteers.
“When Don Larson and I were working on the Sinclair Inlet Cleanup last month we were fortunate to have a group of volunteers from the USS Abraham Lincoln. The ship’s volunteer coordinator contacted me and they would like to participate in any upcoming stream monitoring, restoration, and tree planting activities. Please ask all your contacts to consider upcoming projects and send me dates, locations, contact person, and short description of the project. I’ll consolidate and forward to the Lincoln. For future thought, it seems like having a countywide clearinghouse for volunteer opportunities would be pretty handy,” Shepherd offered.
“Volunteer opportunities for young folks need to be interesting and meaningful and have a sense of adventure. We really need to put together some small work pieces that are fun and useful for young folks to accomplish in a day’s outing,” added Shepherd, who referred volunteers to the Liberty Bay Foundation, featured in last month’s article.
“I suspect that not all volunteer jobs will be ‘interesting’ with a ‘sense of adventure’ — but certainly some citizen volunteer jobs will help make our local community better,” added Don Larson, Bremerton Cleanup Organizer, Kitsap Diving Association (KDA) President, Washington Scuba Alliance (WSA) Vice President and founding board member for ‘Kitsap Trees’ 501(c) (3) Non-Profit Organizations (dolarson@msn.com)
“Case in point is the semi-annual Sinclair Inlet Cleanups and Adopt-A-Highway-Programs, where citizen volunteers cleanup after less thoughtful people, to “help the local community and environment,” so we do not have to live and work next to unauthorized/illegal trash dumps. We removed 480 cubic yards of trash from 1990 to 2003 from just the Sinclair Inlet area between Port Orchard, Gorst and Bremerton. That amounts to about 53,280 pounds of trash! Much more trash has been removed from Dyes Inlet “Water-For-Life” Program with Sub Base Bangor Support, working with Central Kitsap students who removed 30 to 40 cubic yards, with about 600 volunteers per event. Literally tons of trash has been collected and removed by the local Adopt-A-Highway program,” added Larson.
Commenting on future volunteer events, Larson said, “I’d like to get the word out that people should not litter, anyway I can, and your article can help! Gorst is a real garbage pit - there are cars and rubber parts buried deep in the dirt, with parts showing through the shoreline bank - what a sad waste of beautiful waterfront property. I hope the Sinclair Inlet Estuary Restoration Project could move a little faster at re-claiming the land for a natural beautiful habitat that it once was!”
On Sept. 20, approximately 20 cubic yards of trash/Litter was removed by 35 volunteers from Kitsap County’s Sinclair Inlet Shoreline & Underwater Cleanup for COASTWEEKS, as part of a www.coastalcleanup.org, and PADI Project Aware. www.projectaware.org effort.
Numerous partners joined in support of the September 2003 Sinclair Inlet Community Clean-Up Event and included:
- Blue Sky Printing of Poulsbo (Provided cleanup notification posters)
- Bremerton Bottling Company, INC. (Pepsi/7up product refreshments)
- Brem-Air Disposal, INC./Waste Management Co. (Provided 3 dumpsters)
- City of Bremerton (Proclamation & City Councilman Volunteer)
- Diamond Parking (Waived parking lot fees for volunteers)
- Olympic Educational Service District #114 (Posters to 100 Schools)
- Kitsap Alternative to Detention (volunteers)
- Kitsap County Commissioners (issued a COASTWEEKS Proclamation)
- Kitsap County Department of Community Development (support)
- Kitsap County Surface & Storm Water Management (support)
- Kitsap Disposal, INC. (provided a 10 cubic yard dumpster)
- Kitsap Diving Association (KDA) (volunteers)
- Kitsap Trees (volunteers)
- Naval Station Bremerton (volunteers)
- PADI Project A.W.A.R.E.(www.projectaware.org) Foundation (support)
- Port of Bremerton (support)
- Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (volunteers)
- Smiley’s Subs, Bremerton
- Sound Dive Center, INC. (Air Fills for Divers)
- Subway Sandwich, Kitsap Way-Bremerton
- Targert’s Dive Locker, Port Orchard (Free Air Fills for Divers)
- USS Abraham Lincoln, CVN-72 Aircraft Carrier (volunteers)
- Washington Department of Transportation (Road Cleanup Supplies/Sign)
- Washington Sea Grant (Educational Materials & Support)
- Washington Scuba Alliance (WSA) Volunteers
- Washington State Parks COASTWEEKS Coordinator (supplies)
While these large events require organization long in advance, there are many opportunities to volunteer and learn about our local environment working side-by-side scientists and experts in the field. Check out your local newspaper calendars, contact the many non-profit organizations in your area (most have web pages), call your council representatives, county commissioners, state and federal agencies.
The Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group (hcseg@hctc.com) or 360-275-3575) organizes a rigorous volunteer monitoring effort to measure the critically low dissolved oxygen levels throughout the canal. Low DO has been implicated in the cause of massive fish kills and recent fishing closures.
While there are no shortage of opportunities... volunteers are finite and valuable. Just do it. |
