The Port Townsend Marine Science Center invites the community to take part in its “Earth Day” beach and roadside cleanups, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 20, with check-ins at Fort Worden State Park and the Chimacum Corner Farmstand.

Mandi Johnson, outreach coordinator for the Port Townsend Marine Science Center, expressed her gratitude to Olympic Disposal of Sequim for “graciously” donating its disposal services, as well as to The Food Co-op and The Keg and I for offering coupons to participants.

Johnson explained that the day’s cleanups at preselected roadsides are being made possible through the Marine Science Center’s partnership with the JeffCo Trash Task Force.

“This is amazing and important work, because it collects debris on land before it even has a chance to get onto our beaches,” Johnson said. “We will also have a few small crews heading out to remote beaches that are known locations to collect quite a lot of debris. So if folks are up for trekking a few miles, and hauling debris on their backs, that would be a great way to participate, too.”

To convey the scope of the Marine Science Center’s previous “Earth Day” cleanups, which are conducted in partnership with Washington CoastSavers, Johnson noted that, during each of the cleanups for 2022 and 2023, volunteers collected more than 2,000 pounds of debris.

Jenna Kinghorn, a volunteer during the Marine Science Center’s 2022 “Earth Day” cleanup, recalled 134 volunteers arriving at the start of that afternoon, to take part in beach cleanups at not only Fort Worden State Park, but also the Shine Tidelands State Park, the Indian Island County Park, the Cape George Colony beach and downtown Port Townsend.

In addition, Kinghorn noted the JeffCo Trash Task Force cleaned up Flagler Road along the entire length of Indian Island, while a group of homeowners hauled in debris from their private beaches on the far side of the Hood Canal Bridge, and two teams scoured several miles of beach, in the remote locations of the southern tip of Marrowstone Island, and at Hood Head, just as volunteers brought in debris from an unofficial cleanup at North Beach that same year.

As for the Marine Science Center’s 2023 “Earth Day” cleanup, more than 170 volunteers collected marine debris from Cape George to the Hood Canal Bridge, 850 pounds of which was diverted to be recycled through a Washington CoastSavers project, while close to 100 pounds of aquaculture debris was set aside to be reused by local shellfish businesses.

For this year’s “Earth Day,” the Fort Worden State Park check-in table will be located outside the Port Townsend Marine Science Center Museum building — the second building on the left, past the pier — from which volunteers will be sent to take part in cleanups of local beaches throughout Port Townsend.

The Chimacum Corner Farmstand check-in table will be located in the parking lot at 9122 Rhody Dr. — at the intersection of Chimacum, Center and Beaver Valley roads — from which volunteers will have the option to take part in one of three cleanups:

1. At the preselected roadsides with the JeffCo Trash Task Force.

2. As part of one or two smaller groups heading out to the aforementioned remote beaches .

3. At local beaches throughout the greater Port Hadlock area.

Johnson encouraged prospective volunteers to inquire further, if they’re interested in what the remote beach cleanups entail, by emailing her at mjohnson@ptmsc.org.

Once all the volunteers return to their check-in locations after their cleanups are completed for the day, their collections will be weighed and recorded for posterity.

In the meantime, the first 100 participants will receive a free pass to the Port Townsend Marine Science Center Museum and Aquarium, a $5 gift card for The Food Co-op, and a $1-off coupon for any item at The Keg and I.