On Oct. 30, Lopez Island Conservation Corps organized an island-wide fall beach cleanup, inviting the community to work together to comb both public and their own private beaches for garbage before the rising fall tides swept it out to sea.

Twenty-five community members gathered outside of Paper Scissors on the Rock ready to do their part. LICC partnered with Bureau of Land Management, San Juan County Parks, San Juan County Land Bank, and WSU Beach Watchers.

The group divided and dispersed to Otis Perkins, Fisherman Bay Spit, Iceberg Point, Flint Beach, San Juan Channel beaches, and several other private beaches.

After four hours of scouring these beaches for inorganic and/or toxic materials we reconvened with four heaping truck loads of garbage, estimated at 1200 pounds, including 11 tires and a truck load of creosote treated wood shards.

Perhaps the most interesting items found were three small hand-colored floats from Jarvis Inlet, Vancouver Island, Canada. One enthused young beach cleaner commented, “What a cool way to see the details at the beach; I picked up a piece of styrofoam and found a striped rock in the shape of a bird, then a killdeer (shorebird) almost flew into me…”

LICC, partners, and the sea life send out an enormous thank you to all the participants, you all rock! The next LICC monthly event will take place on Nov. 20. Community members are invited to join us for a wetland planting on San Juan Island. For more information contact LICC Program Coordinators Amanda Wedow and Charlie Behnke at l.i.c.c.team@gmail.com.