Seattle Press on Line - Get Dirty on April 20, Earth Day 2002

Get Dirty on April 20, Earth Day 2002

Apr 18, 2002 -- On Saturday, April 20, hundreds of volunteers will celebrate Earth Day by restoring salmon habitat in the Seattle's Duwamish Estuary. The event is sponsored by People for Puget Sound.

There will be a rally for volunteers at Alki Beach in West Seattle at 9:30 a.m. Then at 10 a.m., groups will be dispatched to five restoration sites, where they will plant native shrubs, grasses and trees, weed out invasive species, pick up litter, and learn how their work restoring the Duwamish is a critical part of bringing back salmon, orca whales, and the health of the Sound.

"Earth Day 2002 finds the health of Puget Sound in danger," said Kathy Fletcher, Executive Director of People for Puget Sound. "But what isn't in danger is the willingness of people to get out and help. It's only through volunteer effort and citizen activism that we will save the Sound."

People For Puget Sound recently rated the State of the Sound as "fair to poor."

* many parts of the Sound are polluted beyond legal limits
* 20 percent of the Sound's resident orca whales have disappeared since 1995
* most of the rockfish, lingcod, herring and other marine fishes are on the brink of extinction in the Sound and are either on the ESA listing or being considered for listing
* toxic chemicals pollute the Sound's food chain, building up in the top predators like orca whales
* over 600 waterways in Washington State still do not meet the standards of the Clean Water Act, which celebrates its 30th Anniversary this year

Severe budget cuts and an anti-environment administration in Washington, D.C. are additional threats to the Sound's health.

However, there are signs of hope:

* restored habitat in the Duwamish Estuary is providing the food and shelter small salmon need to help them survive when they get out into the Sound
* the state legislature has approved funding for 200 more days of the Barbara Foss, the oil spill prevention rescue tugboat at Neah Bay
* marine protected areas are being established in the Sound to provide havens for fish and wildlife

There is still time for more volunteers to sign up to help clean up the Sound on Earth Day. Those interested in helping on April 20 should call People for Puget Sound at (206) 382-7007 or go to www.pugetsound.org. Volunteers will receive a free T-shirts and discounted tickets to the Seattle Peace Choir's Earth Day concert.

People For Puget Sound is a non-profit organization working to protect and restore the health of Puget Sound and the Northwest Straits. People for Puget Sound's Earth Day sponsors include the Port of Seattle, Tully's, PCC, Bumble Bars, Talking Rain and Blue Sky.

Directions to Rally/Registration at Alki Beach Park

From the North and South: Take I-5 to the West Seattle exit (near the Tully's "T" neon sign and factory), get on to West Seattle Bridge. Near the end of the bridge before heading up the hill, take Harbor Avenue SW exit and bear right. After a couple of miles, Harbor Avenue will turn into Alki Avenue SW. The beach park will be on your right. Volunteers will be gathering close to the Bath House.

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