Puget Soundkeeper’s annual Seattle Summer Cleanups, a series of events focused on removing thousands of pounds of marine debris from Seattle’s urban waterways, will end this summer’s lineup at Seahurst Park in Burien. For the past 12 years, the Seattle Summer Cleanups has contributed to our collection of over 185,000 pounds of marine debris throughout the Puget Sound and its tributaries. Included each year is Puget Soundkeeper’s July 5th fireworks cleanup at Lake Union. So far, this year’s cleanup series has mobilized over 700 volunteers, and collected 2,000 pounds of marine debris from the Washington Park Arboretum, Union Bay, Lake Union, and surrounding areas. There is still room to join the Seahurst Park beach cleanup. Lunch will be provided.
RSVP online, https://pugetsoundkeeper.org/event/final-summer-cleanup-series-at-seahurst-park-in-burien/
What: Beach Cleanup – the final event of Seattle Summer Cleanups
When: Saturday, August 31st, 2019; 10am-12pm.
Where: Seahurst Park, SW 140th Street, Burien, WA 98166
Who: Kristin Holschbach, Puget Soundkeeper; Stefan Kovalenko, Brown Bear
Why: 90% of all marine debris is plastic. Marine debris is trash that is washed into our oceans via rivers, streams, and storm drains. Most trash that end up in our waters are a result of littering, dumping, or inadequate waste management systems. Recent studies have revealed marine plastic pollution in 100% of marine turtles, 59% of whales, 36% of seals and 40% of seabird species examined. Plastics often contain additives that can damage animals and humans. Bisphenol A, phthalates, and brominated flame retardants can adversely affect sexual development, damage genetic material, and cause cancer. Pesticides and other toxins that are released into our waterways are also absorbed by plastic debris. All of these toxins penetrate the fatty tissue of marine organisms and end up in the food chain. Particularly at risk are all those animals at the end of the food chain: sea birds, seals, our southern resident orcas, and not least of all, humans. The Seattle Summer Cleanups, like other cleanup events, is one strategy to help mitigate the impacts of marine debris on our local coastal and ocean ecosystems, and provide an opportunity to collect fresh data about the state of our urban waterways and the types of trash that pollutes them. Visit https://pugetsoundkeeper.org/current-priorities/marine-debris-2/ for additional information and resources.
For more information contact: Kristin Holschbach kristin@pugetsoundkeeper.org