Over Labor Day weekend, a friends and I was on a beach walk along Freshwater Bay beach, west of the Elwha River mouth near Port Angeles.
We spotted a large block thing floating in the water just off shore. Looking at it with binoculars we realized it was a piece of a dock. It soon landed on the beach and with a closer look, we realized it was mostly styrofoam and lined with concrete and metal wire.
This type of styrofoam breaks up on our local beaches leaving not only small chunks but also very difficult to remove tiny bits of bead foam. I've seen this foam in kelp beds, tide pools and on many of our NW beaches.
I immediately contacted the Feiro Marine Science Center in Port Angeles to find a solution for removing the dock. After a few days, they figured a solution to cut up the foam and remove it manually.
This week, three volunteers armed with plastic bags, plastic sheeting, cutting tools and a wagon worked for a few hours to remove the foam. Here's the photos of their efforts.
View more photos and info plus comments on my Instagram page @salmonbaypaddle
Donate to Feiro Marine Science Center which runs a small aquarium and marine education programs in downtown Port Angeles.
We spotted a large block thing floating in the water just off shore. Looking at it with binoculars we realized it was a piece of a dock. It soon landed on the beach and with a closer look, we realized it was mostly styrofoam and lined with concrete and metal wire.
This type of styrofoam breaks up on our local beaches leaving not only small chunks but also very difficult to remove tiny bits of bead foam. I've seen this foam in kelp beds, tide pools and on many of our NW beaches.
I immediately contacted the Feiro Marine Science Center in Port Angeles to find a solution for removing the dock. After a few days, they figured a solution to cut up the foam and remove it manually.
This week, three volunteers armed with plastic bags, plastic sheeting, cutting tools and a wagon worked for a few hours to remove the foam. Here's the photos of their efforts.
View more photos and info plus comments on my Instagram page @salmonbaypaddle
Donate to Feiro Marine Science Center which runs a small aquarium and marine education programs in downtown Port Angeles.
Thanks to these volunteers at Feiro!
Rob Casey is author of Kayaking Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands, 60 Trips and Stand Up Paddling Flat Water to Surf and Rivers, both by Mountaineers Books. He owns Salmon Bay Paddle a SUP school in Seattle. Get in touch: rob@salmonbaypaddle.com
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