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Aug 17 2012 -- Sep 3 2012  Oregon Marine Debris Team Makes Its Debut Japanese float, possible tsunami debris, on Bayocean Spit. Photo by Robert Ollikainen, Mile 289. Dock from Japan washed up at Agate Beach. Photo by Chris Burns, Mile 218. CoastWatch has joined forces with three other non-profit groups—Surfrider, SOLVE and Washed Ashore—and Oregon Sea Grant to address the impacts of tsunami debris on our shores. Working together as the Oregon Marine Debris Team, we hope to focus hundreds of volunteers on monitoring the shoreline for debris and cleaning it up wherever it accumulates. We will draw from our collective memberships first, and then reach out to a larger circle of citizens willing to pitch in. The first clean-up organized by the Marine Debris Team takes place Sept. 8 on the Netarts spit. We also hope this will be the first step in a longer-term partnership to clean up marine debris and educate the public about its sources. CoastWatchers can start by monitoring their own miles as often as possible, reporting debris when it arrives, and cleaning it up where feasible. CoastWatchers will serve as the critical front line of scouts for the Oregon Marine Debris Team, making it important that every mile be visited frequently. CoastWatchers are also asked to get further involved by joining the Marine Debris Team’s network of volunteers. When we identify shoreline areas receiving quantities of tsunami debris (with the help of an Oregon Parks and Recreation Department staffer who will help to coordinate, and Parks’ beach rangers), we will assemble clean-up crews from those who have volunteered to help in a given area. To sign up as a volunteer and get on the list to receive bulletins and updates, click here. We need a handful of dedicated volunteers to take yet a further step, and become area coordinators for the Oregon Marine Debris Team. We are dividing the coast into the same units that SOLVE uses as “zones” for its semi-annual beach clean-ups: check this. We need coordinators for each of these areas. Coordinators will share information with State Parks to identify sites where more debris is accumulating that can be handled informally by local CoastWatchers or other visitors. They will then organize clean-ups, recruiting from the pools of volunteers we have identified, with the assistance of leaders from the groups making up the Marine Debris Team. If you would be willing to consider taking on this essential role, and would like to discuss the full job description for area coordinators, contact CoastWatch Director Phillip Johnson, (503) 754-9303, or email. Contact: Phillip Johnson, Executive Director, (503) 754-9303, or EMAIL ©2013 Oregon Shores •  CONTACT US