Earlier this month, Surfrider chapters in Oregon took to our beaches and waterways to clean up after the “dirtiest beach day of the year” - the Fourth of July. Despite fireworks being illegal on Oregon beaches, each summer sees hundreds of pounds of spent explosives, food wrappers, plastic bottles, broken chairs, party supplies, and other debris left behind by revelers.
With Independence Day falling on a Saturday this year, coupled with this being America’s 250th birthday, the celebration was massive. We saw a beachside brushfire of just over an acre started by reckless fireworks in Lincoln City, an Estacada firefighter seriously injured by an unexploded mortar, and buildings damaged around the state due to fireworks. In California, a man lost his hand while cleaning up fireworks from the beach in Crescent City. In addition, wildlife can mistake brightly colored plastic firework fragments for food, and they never break down, instead leaching toxic chemicals and heavy metals into our waterways.
To combat this harm, Surfrider chapters diligently host “afterglow” cleanups every year on July 5th. This year, we hosted eight cleanups stretching from Coos Bay to Portland. All together, 157 dedicated volunteers turned out to remove nearly 2,000 lbs of trash from our beaches! Thank you to everyone who joined us at a cleanup this month - there’s nothing more patriotic than taking care of our beloved beaches! A huge shout out also goes to each chapter’s volunteer Beach Cleanup Program Coordinators. They’re the brains behind the cleanup efforts at many of your local beaches, and ensure that things are organized, cleanup gear is available to use, and that the trash collected is responsibly disposed of - a lot of coordination happens behind the scenes to pull this off! Thank you Jaime, JoBeth, Nic, and Matt!
Scenes from Bastendorff Beach
The most staggering numbers came from the south coast, where the Coos Bay chapter hosted their annual cleanup at Bastendorff Beach. This beach is always hit hard during the holiday, and this year was the worst in recent memory. 64 volunteers worked hard combing the beach, and ended up filling a 6-yard dumpster, equating to roughly 1,500 lbs of debris. This represents a disturbing trend, as the trash collected during the July 5th cleanup has jumped from 300 lbs in 2023 and 500 lbs in 2024 to 1,000 lbs last summer. Volunteer participation has also increased, so is the jump explained by this added capacity, or rather more people leaving their trash behind to be dealt with by good samaritans?
The Newport chapter’s unique beach cleanup program model allows for multiple simultaneous cleanups to happen around Lincoln County. This year, beach captains hosted cleanups at South Beach State Park, Yaquina Bay State Recreation Area, Nye Beach, Agate Beach, Beverly Beach, and Otter Rock/Devil’s Punchbowl State Recreation Area. Across these six sites, 73 volunteers removed 171 lbs of trash! Thank you to our site captains and the Oregon Coast Aquarium for hosting cleanups at your favorite Newport-area beaches and taking your impact to the next level!
Along the shores of the Willamette River, the Portland Chapter hosted their annual Ross Island Paddle Cleanup, leading volunteers across the channel on paddleboards, kayaks, and canoes to the abused Ross Island, while a land crew stayed back and cleaned up at Willamette Park in SW. This year, 20 volunteers collected a mighty 317 lbs of trash!
Scenes from Portland
Check out some media that highlighted our cleanups:
You can support these cleanup efforts by becoming a member of your local chapter - just find your chapter and click the red “donate” button in the top right corner. Any donation above $5 makes you a member! With Surfrider’s Membership Drive currently running through the end of August, your donation may even help your chapter win!
Looking to join a cleanup near you? Find your local chapter to check out their upcoming events!