Volunteers collected more than 1,200 pieces of trash during a cleanup on Martin Luther King Jr. Day at the Regional Athletic Complex in Lacey on Monday, Jan. 20.
The cleanup, which was part of the Pacific Shellfish Institute’s “Teens in Thurston” program, sought to remove litter, document waste and raise environmental awareness.
The event was partially funded by a Washington State Department of Ecology grant.
Participants, including AmeriCorps members and local teens, braved 26-degree weather to collect more than 280 plastic bottles, 18 mylar balloons, five spray paint cans and a comic book.
Smaller pieces of trash, including food wrappers, bottle caps, straws, cigarette butts and aluminum cans, were also collected and recorded.
The Pacific Shellfish Institute (PSI), a nonprofit based in Olympia, organized the event in collaboration with the Thurston Conservation District (TCD).
Founded in 1995, PSI researches shellfish culture, water quality and marine environments. It works closely with the Pacific Coast Shellfish Growers Association and relies on competitive federal grants to fund its projects.
The organization blends scientific research with community engagement to address environmental challenges in the Pacific Northwest.
The TCD, a local government subdivision, supports Thurston County residents in managing natural resources.
The district frequently collaborates with PSI on initiatives designed to promote conservation and environmental stewardship.
During the cleanup, volunteers were provided with grabbers, gloves, buckets and data sheets to document the types of waste collected.
Bamboo sporks were distributed to participants as a token of appreciation.
“We had the most INCREDIBLE group of volunteers turn up to our MLK Day of Service Cleanup,” PSI said in a statement. “We are so grateful for the help we had in making this happen. We could not have done it without the support of our community and our volunteers.”
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SheriB
Thank you to the teens that participated in this event and did such a great job! It’s always wonderful to see good news, especially about teens!
Saturday, January 25 Report this
olyhiker
Wonderful news. Thank you.
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Snevets
Saturday, January 25 Report this