Seattle Press on Line - Volunteers Get Hands Dirty in Earth Day Cleanup

Volunteers Get Hands Dirty in Earth Day Cleanup

By Joe Hagen

Tired out: Sophie Johnson takes a rest with dad Brian. Tom Gray is in the background. Jeff Mason photo.

May 09, 2002 -- Although most of the 400 volunteers who gathered on Alki Beach April 20 were dressed in old clothes and ready to get grubby, they sure cleaned up nicely. To do their part for the environment, the participants in the Duwamish River Earth Day Cleanup project concentrated on our corner of the planet here in Puget Sound.

The all-day cleanup effort was organized by People for Puget Sound (PPS). Part of the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition, PPS is a citizen's organization that strives to "protect and restore the land and waters of Puget Sound." Volunteers teamed up for the day-long restoration project to help make the marine habitat the healthy breeding water it once was.

Around 400 volunteers met at the beach in West Seattle on this beautiful Saturday morning. Workers gathered to hear speeches from Kathy Fletcher, Executive Director of PPS, Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, Lawrence Molloy, Commissioner of the Port of Seattle; and Dennis Clark, Coordinator for the Green/Duwamish Watershed. Fletcher then assigned each volunteer to one of five restoration sites.

Some workers had experience with similar projects through PPS, while many were first-timers to the effort. Men and women of all ages and levels of expertise quickly formed teams, and proceeded to "Get Dirty on Earth Day," as the recruiting slogan had coerced.

Mark Blitzer and Michelle Finet at work on the Duwamish. Jeff Mason photo.

Volunteers spent the morning uprooting invasive species of plants. Weeds hazardous to wildlife were identified near the waterway, and removed with shovels.

In the afternoon, workers planted native shrubs, grasses and trees around the affected areas.

Among those working at the Hamm Creek location was Mark Blitzer, who has participated in several projects for PPS. He first began volunteering for at this site two years ago. "This is a big project, but this many people working together on the same day is great to see. It will definitely have an impact," he said.

Matt Wells has also had experience with the project. A group from his work has been volunteering for the past four years. "What better way to get people together outside the office?" he explained. Today his daughter Emma accompanied him for the first time.

The Coalition and its volunteers had their work cut out. The Duwamish has been listed by the US Environmental Protection Agency as a federal SUPERFUND site, one of the country's most contaminated hazardous waste sites. The River itself barely resembles the healthy, winding stream it was a few decades ago. It has been straightened, dredged, and turned industrial. Pollution has come largely from piped and spilled waste from industries along the water, but also from runoff from city streets. These toxins have made the river dangerous for all members of the food chain.

Matt Wells and daughter Emma enjoy Earth Day working together. Jeff Mason photo.

Along with providing a home for birds and other wildlife, the river serves as a gateway for salmon making their way to the ocean from the Duwamish Waterway. Fish from the Green, White, Sammamish, Cedar and Black Rivers all travel through bodies of water that have been highly altered over the past century. Industry and pollution in and around these streams has changed the salmon's delicate habitats, introducing new predators and competition for food, and eliminating the tidal mud flats on which Chinook salmon depend. A young salmon's health is at high risk when it makes its way into Elliott Bay, and adults are threatened when they return from the ocean to spawn in the estuary.

As a result, the number and quality of salmon and other marine wildlife continues to deteriorate. According to a pamphlet produced by the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition, fish in the Duwamish River contain up to seven times more cancer-causing chemicals than those in clean water bodies. Traces of mercury, lead, pesticides and arsenic have been detected in native salmon, which were listed under the Endangered Species Act of 1999. This endangers not only Seattle area residents who eat fish from the River, but also animals higher on the food chain, such as eagles and orca whales.

Efforts like the Earth Day project will play a key role in the restoration of the area. Fletcher was happy with the day's results. "We are pleased with the turnout, and the amount of work that was done today," she said. "The people who helped us understand and appreciate what they are doing, and their connection with the progress that is made on this project." The improvements made represent only a small amount of the work that must be done, but the healthy new plant life visible at the end of the day was an encouraging sign.

There are other signs of hope for the Duwamish. The City of Seattle last year finalized its Urban Blueprint for Habitat Protection and Restoration. This plan evaluates the patterns of Chinook salmon as they make their way through the waters of Seattle, and formulates ways to protect them. Among several ecological efforts the city pledges to pursue in the area, the commitment has been made to improve habitats in the Duwamish. The Chinook habitat in the Estuary is already showing signs of recovery, and is again providing the sustenance and conditions young salmon need to survive when they enter the Sound.

Also, the state legislature has approved funding for an additional 200 days of the Barbara Foss, the oil spill prevention rescue tugboat in Neah Bay. The 1989 Exxon Valdez incident has not escaped the memories of those concerned with the number of oil tankers that pass through Seattle waters. This measure will safeguard against such an immediate fate for marine life in the Sound.

Healthy marine life defines the Seattle area. The estuary and its residents will need all the help they can get from the city of Seattle, the EPA, and efforts like those on Earth Day to survive. People for Puget Sound and their volunteers showed what a difference an Earth Day makes.

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Dalton	May 03, 2005	PA
you stinky