Oregon Coast Beach Cleanup Group Calls for Volunteers, Changes Name

Published 03/20/2012

(Oregon Coast) – With the Spring Oregon Beach Cleanup just a couple weeks away, the organization that has run it for nearly 30 years has changed its name for the second time since its inception and it's calling for volunteers (above: near Depoe Bay).

SOLV is now called SOLVE, and the SOLVE Spring Oregon Beach Cleanup happens March 31 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The group is calling for volunteers to help scour Oregon's 362 miles of coastline of all the beach trash and flotsam and jetsam that washes in during winter storms.

It's a rather special year for the SOLVE cleanup in other ways, with the impending landing of perhaps a lot of debris from the tsunami in Japan last year. NOAA scientists believe a fair amount of it could reach the West Coast next year.

Above: Cannon Beach, on the north Oregon coast.

“SOLVE is working with multiple partners to prepare for additional cleanups if need be, and the help of volunteers across Oregon will be more important than ever to reduce possible impacts to our coastline and communities,” said Melisa McDonald, SOLVE’s Executive Director.

NOAA scientists believe it's possible some could be making its way onshore already or very soon, and the SOLVE cleanup could be part of the frontline in this watch. The agency is requesting attention to such details from SOLVE volunteers. NOAA said the Oregon coast could see a lot of highly buoyant materials first, such as floats, fishing gear, lumber, plastic items of a wide variety, drums and even small boats. Volunteers will be asked to fill out a marine debris data card this year, something new.

Lincoln City

It was just a little over a year ago that the massive earthquake and tsunami happened in Japan – on March 11.

NOAA is keeping a close eye on the patches of debris headed towards the west coast, and so far there are no reports of any material from the tsunami on Oregon beaches. But the possibility exists that some smaller objects have made it here and are as yet undiscovered, and not all the debris fields in the ocean have been found as yet.

“While tsunami debris is a new issue for our coast, the same beach safety guidelines will still apply,” says Diana Bartlett, Beach Cleanup Coordinator with SOLVE. “We always ask that volunteers dress for the weather, and do not touch barrels, drums, or any potentially hazardous waste, but instead report it to one of our trained SOLVE Beach Captains.”

Over half of the zone captains are park rangers with Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD), which has been partnered with the twice-yearly cleanups over the last 28 years. At the last cleanup in the spring, more than 3,400 volunteers removed an estimated 52,617 pounds of trash off the coast, including 4,627 pounds of recycled materials.

Earlier this year SOLV changed its name to SOLVE. The organization was formed in 1969 under the name Stop Oregon Litter and Vandalism and used the acronym SOLV for decades, until it finally officially dropped the wording in favor of the simpler SOLV. The organization further simplified to SOLVE in recent months, saying it better represents their agency's mission.

Zone sites happen all over the coast, including Seaside, Warrenton, Cannon Beach, Manzanita, Rockaway Beach, Bayocean, Oceanside, Netarts, Pacific City, Lincoln City, Gleneden Beach, Newport, Waldport, Yachats, Florence, Coos Bay, Brookings, and more.

Visit www.solv.org to register online and view a map of check-in sites, or call SOLVE at (503) 844-9571 ext. 332.

Cape Kiwanda, Pacific City - at night

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