How many of you would participate in ongoing cleanups?

[ljjames]

How many of you would participate in an ongoing underwater and shore "dive site" cleanup.

I'm looking for one dive a month, starting at our most heavily dove local sites.

I know that the concept of 'trash' is tricky, one mans beer can is another gunnels home. BUT, there are things that are FOR SURE trash out there...

There is TONS of trash in Puget Sound, and its up to "us" to clean it up. No one else can see it.. non-divers just see 'pristine waters of puget sound' and sometimes after a big storm some beach trash...

Dead batteries, rubber gloves, tarps, nets, 6-pack plastic, bags, ghost nets, etc... (you get the idea, right, all that stuff that they found in the dead grey whales belly)

I propose that we video the current state of trash as best we can, i know i'm not the only one with a video camera/housing, and then we document the progress over the next year and see how much progress is made. we can likely get the media involved and use it as a method of educating the non-diving public, encouraging them to pick up floating trash and shoreline garbage and/or not throw it over in the first place.

we already have ideas in place for trash transportation etc...

thoughts?

[pogiguy05]

Well I will definitely be in for doing something like this and my only limitation would be scheduling. I usually do the Thursday dives and it has been the best day for me to get out and do some diving. If it was a regular thing on a day I can dive then I would more than likely be able to get the NON diving wife to understand.

The next thing IF there are alot of divers willing to then I would say we would somehow need to come up with a DETAILED list of what is OK to remove and what is to be left for critters. I can just see some and even myself grabbing something that has hidden life in it.Some are obvious like plastics 6 pack rings,gloves, etc. However there are those who think toilets are garbage but I am sure critters have made homes in them.

I would also say that in addition to video that pictures also are a good way to get the point across. I will be diving today at Redondo and one thing that comes to my mind is that orange cone on the way down to the carousel boat. I would also assume that sadly the whale must have gotten into all that crap in deeper water which is out of my range of Advanced Open Water Cert.

For me I dive the south sound area from Three Tree to Day Island Wall.

JEFF

[ljjames]

grey whales actually do come up into shallow water to feed on the the amphipods living in the bottom sediment... that is why divers were seeing them at the alki pipeline and junkyard... that is also how they likely 'scooped' up the trash.

Agreed that there are some things considered "homes" by the animals, but it is easy to recognize some stuff that is trash, and we would have a list of desired items to pick up...

things such as batteries (AA, AAA, C, D, you get my drift)

garbage bags

car/boat footboard mats

dead blankets/clothes

latex gloves

etc...


this could be easily illustrated with pictures of critters living in bottles and cans, and then the dead zones of astroturf strips, etc...

[pogiguy05]

Yes I get your point but I remember one time seeing a picture of a clean up and there was an Octo climbing out of a garbage can. I just dont want to see any critters disturbed or killed.

[ljjames]

agreed

Yes I get your point but I remember one time seeing a picture of a clean up and there was an Octo climbing out of a garbage can. I just dont want to see any critters disturbed or killed.

[Grateful Diver]

Laura ... I would be happy to help out. I think we would need to coordinate it with the appropriate authorities/agencies before removing certain things ... I know that the one time we contacted Seattle Parks about removing the old car batteries in Cove 2 they asked us not to disturb them. What we don't want to do is end up causing more harm than good, and while I know divers almost always go into projects like this with good intentions, we don't always have good information to know how to do it properly.

If we can approach it with the blessing of the appropriate folks who regulate cleanup of urban waters, then I'd wholeheartedly provide my support to the project ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

[ljjames]

Ok, so next question, since we are all in different fields and mine revolves primarily around hospitals not parks, fisheries, etc... does anyone on this site have good connections with the local powers that be from said urban water cleanup folks? If not, I have no qualms about doing the digging, but if this is to be a community effort, i'm willing to do the footwork and organization, but it would be awesome if some of you with the right connections can point me in correct direction

(thats why I posted this on the board!)

[Geek]

Laura, you might want to call Wally.. He's got a guy with Tacoma Metro parks that might know other people in the different city's that we can talk too... might be an "In".

btw, I'm in for any clean up.. anyone that has done the bottle field at Redondo knows what trash that needs to be removed looks like.

[dwashbur]

However it shakes out, count us 3 in. We would love to help with such a project and are more than willing to do our share of the work.

[Grateful Diver]

For Seacrest Park (Coves 1, 2 and 3) I would start with the Seattle Parks Dept.

It's been a few years since I was involved with the maintenance over there, but Randy Williams or Fritz Merkel would probably know the right person to contact.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

[gracefulc]

I would love to do this - a dive buddy and I have made a habit of picking up the fish hooks and other obvious garbage (cell phones, boat paddles, teddy bears, golf balls) we find on dives. Its a big part of why I started diving - to clean up the water! Count me in!

[ktb]

I'm totally in, as I've already been trying to clean up the Redondo bottle field every time I visit.

Laura--I don't have any connections, but I'm willing to help any way possible above water as well.

[Anthony]

I'd love to be a part of this. I'm in when I get back up there in a month.

[Magoi]

I am an environmental engineer and am involved in cleanup of uplands contaminated sites. I also work with people involved with aquatic habitat restoration and contaminated sediment cleanup. Should be able to establish contacts with fisheries agencies and the Dept. of Ecology. I think GD is right in wanting to learn what is proper before jumping in. There are also issues with handling (possible spillage) and disposal of things like batteries that can create liabilities and safety issues. There are lots of regulations that apply to disposal of hazardous waste. It is important to work smart. Probably makes sense to get a general plan together and then contact the agencies to get the information to do this right. I guess I am volunteering to help.

[ljjames]

I gotta say, i tossed the idea out there to see if people would be interested, and the overwhelming support has been wonderful!

I have a loose plan with regards to vision, how to get the tools to do the job (buckets for transporting trash) in addition to video cameras, ability to edit, etc... where i obviously need help is those of you with the contacts and knowledge for the legal/logistical things, people with connections in the community (outside of diving) etc...

We (everyone interested?) should have a pizza or BBQ meeting in May, in which we figure out how to make this happen the 'right' way.

i'm happy to put together an "educational" video showing trash vs. gunnel/crab/octo home, what things to leave (right now) due to hazardous waste (AKA that battery at cove 2) with the input from the scientists etc.. so we don't end up with octo's climbing out of garbage cans, etc..

the sound is not the only place for cleaning... any of you who've visited Lake Washington can attest to the frequency (especially in the summer months) of all sorts of boating and picnic trash that ends up out there...

most importantly, i don't want this to be a one shot deal. I would like to see a quarterly "event" for cleanup, maybe monthly cleanups (beach, etc..) where a club adopts a certain beach, and also, very important, I want to put some things in place so that it's easier for divers to do a cleanup. How many times have you been out diving and thought, 'gee, i'd like to clean this up, but how do i transport it?'.

If things go 'as planned' (AKA as i envision) it would also be neat to encompass ghost net cleanup into the mix.

[smike]

I'm willing to participate in cleanup and video work, especially in Mukilteo. I can see a lot of fun in projects like this, practicing skills in lifting for instance. I would love to have more purposes (excuses) to dive.

Mike

[Anthony]

due to hazardous waste (AKA that battery at cove 2) with the input from the scientists etc...

I haven't seen the battery myself but I've heard about it a few times now. What kind of battery is it? Standard car battery? There has gotta be a way to pull that out without leaking everything. If its a car battery couldn't you carefully scoop it into a 5 gal paint bucket with a lid by dragging the bucket underneath it and seal it underwater so that when you took it to the top everything is contained? Just throwing ideas out.

[Magoi]

I would like to do the planning meeting this month. Will be out of town 5/20 - 5/23, but can meet most evenings.

[Berritt]

I'm in! I might need to be shore support since I'm such a Noob, but I'd love to help! And I'd love to get in the water to help when I'm a good diver

[ljjames]

I'll look at some dates for end of this month...

Berritt, we don't mind newbs, in fact, you are a large part of our target audience new divers have infectious enthusiasm!! And it's opportunity to dive dive dive and we as the local community need to do our part to help grow baby divers into full fledged NWDC divers!

[nwbobber]

I'd be interested in helping. I also would say to the folks that said to leave the battery alone, that the thing is leaching hazardous waste into the environment for as long as it sits there. If there is a way that it has to be removed to prevent a disaster then I agree that is the way to do it. But give me the training, don't prevent me from doing a good thing. Someone in the know, lead me to the training. I have fri-sat sun available weekly.

[ljjames]

okay folks, sorry 'bout the silence on the line... had some issues on the home front i was dealing with...

but we are back in business! Just took over the lower unit in our place, so now we have a meeting place complete with deck & bbq!

I'm planning to start getting out in the next week or two to commence shooting video of homes vs. trash...

SO! lets figure out a date and have a first run meeting where we figure out who has all the right connections and start making this happen!

cheers!

Laura

[lizard0924]

I'd be glad to help, just let me know how.

[Burntchef]

in, willing to help out with some of the deeper stuff too.

[BASSMAN]

I'm interested in helping too, as long as it's on a Thursday.
I would be with pogiguy on the South end. I'll keep an eye on this thread,
Thanks Laura!
Great Idea!