The Sinclair Inlet Underwater & Shoreline Community CLEANUP was held on Saturday, Sept. 18, at the Annapolis Boat Launch Area along the Port Orchard Shoreline, on State Highway 304, Gorst to Naval Station Bremerton, at the Downtown Bremerton Boardwalk, and the Port Washington Narrows Shoreline Cleanup from the Lebo Blvd Lions Field Boat Launch, west along the Tracyton Beach Road.

The event was part of Washington State’s Coastweeks International Beach Cleanup, sponsored by the Kitsap Diving Association (KDA) and Washington Scuba Alliance (WSA, CFC #3031).

Organizers Don Larson and John Denis recruited shoreline cleanup volunteers & scuba divers to “HELP the Sinclair Inlet Coastal Cleanup” efforts as in the very successful events held over the past 14 years. Certified Scuba divers have picked up underwater trash around the downtown Bremerton Marina while “Landlubber” volunteers walk along area beaches picking up litter.

“There were 18 volunteers in Bremerton, mostly families with young children and four central Kitsap High School students encouraged to help out at the behest of their Biology teacher, and five came to Port Orchard,” commented Joyce Larson, volunteer and co-organizer with her husband, Don. “We filled a whole dumpster with trash from Hwy. 304, around the boardwalk, and over 1.5 miles of Tracyton Beach Road which still had leftover debris from fireworks!”

WSDOT donated litter cleanup bags and orange vests for shoreline cleanup volunteer’s use. Local businesses donated gloves, Kitsap County Public Works Solid Waste Division paid for disposal of refuse from this event, while Brem-Air Disposal Inc, donated containers and transport. Diamond Parking, Inc. sprung for the parking, allowing beach cleanup volunteers to park free of charge in downtown Bremerton.

Sinclair Inlet Shoreline and Underwater cleanups have occurred twice each year since 1990 — for Earth Day in April and COASTWEEKS in September, typically on the 3rd Saturday of April and September.

Major partners in the Sept, 18, event included:

• Blue Sky Printing of Poulsbo (made cleanup posters at no charge)
• Brem-Air Disposal/Waste Management (Two-6 cubic yard dumpsters)
• City of Bremerton (Proclamation for Coastweeks Cleanup)
• Diamond Parking (Free parking for the volunteers in Bremerton)
• Educational Service District #114 (Delivered posters to Schools)
• Naval Undersea Warfare Center/Division Keyport volunteer
• Kitsap County Solid Waste Division (waived normal dumpster fees)
• Kitsap County Surface & Storm Water Management (SSWM)
• Kitsap Trees Volunteer
• Kitsap Diving Association (KDA), Sinclair Cleanup Organizer/Volunteer
• Ocean Conservancy (www.oceanconservancy.org)
• PADI Project A.W.A.R.E. (International Coastal Cleanup bags & supplies)
• Puget Sound Naval Shipyard Volunteer
• Washington Scuba Alliance (WSA) Volunteer
• Washington Dept. of Transportation (Road cleanup bags & signs)
• Washington State Parks & Recreation (Coastweeks Sponsor for WA State)

   The Sinclair Inlet Cleanup is part of an International Coastweeks Beach Cleanup “Environmental Awareness Event” hosted by Washington State Parks in Washington State for the Ocean Conservancy (757-496-0920, (www.oceanconservancy.org), with support from PADI Project A.W.A.R.E. (www.projectaware.com, 949-858-7657, ext. 2557). Other events in Washington State were organized by Washington State Parks joanh@parks.wa.gov.