Washington State Parks asks you to please celebrate responsibly.
The tradition of celebrating independence on the 4th of July with fireworks began in 1777. During the last nearly 250 years we have certainly seen the festivities increase from the original 13-gun salute honoring the 13 colonies.
Washingtonians love celebrating the 4th of July at our ocean beaches, BUT the sheer volume of firework revelries leaves debris scattered along the shoreline or swept into the ocean with during high tides.
Pack it in, pack it out
The Fourth of July brings heavy traffic and significantly increases the amount of litter left behind, especially fireworks. Any litter left on the beach endangers wildlife, marine animals and beachgoers.
DO YOUR PART:
-Bring trash bags-Pack out what you bring-Use designated trash and recycling bins-
High tides can carry leftover trash into the ocean, harming marine life. The high tide will be early this year on July 4th. Around 9pm the high tide will reach 7-8+ feet, depending on location. The morning of the 5th the lower hight tide will be rising during the cleanup, so stay aware of your surrounding. Check NOAA tides for Washington to find the tide nearest your location.
Celebrate with care — your fun shouldn’t leave a mark on Washington’s beaches.
Fireworks are not allowed on or near state parks beaches. They leave behind harmful debris and pose risks to wildlife and people. Your actions-like picking up after yourself-help protect marine life, ecosystems and the experience of future visitors.
July 4th Bag Handout
In an effort to keep the debris from entering the ocean, groups like the GrassRoots Garbage Gang have doubled their cleanup impact on the Long Beach Peninsula. Volunteers stop vehicles going out to the beach on the afternoon of the 4th to pass out bags and encourage people to cleanup after themselves and the area around them. They will be out handing out bags on the Long Beach Peninsula on the July 4th 4pm-8pm at: Seaview, Sid Snyder, Bolstad, Cranberry, Klipsan, Ocean Park and the Oysterville beach approaches.
Further to the north at Seabrook, they were also disheartened to see the ocean take the fireworks debris out to sea and have implemented an awareness campaign as well as having bags available throughout their properties encouraging guests to clean the beach during their stay over the 4th of July weekend.
July 5th Cleanup 9am-12pm No registration necessary
Join us for the morning after beach cleanup on Saturday, July 5th, 9am-12pm. Washington State Parks, GrassRoots Garbage Gang and Washington Surfrider Olympia and Grays Harbor chapters will be out hosting cleanups along the Central and South Pacific Coast.
The GrassRoots Garbage Gang will be at: Seaview, Sid Snyder, Bolstad, Cranberry, Klipsan, Ocean Park and the Oysterville beach approaches on the Long Beach Peninsula.
Washington Surfrider Olympia Chapter will be in Twin Harbors State Park on Bonge Ave, while the Grays Harbor Chapter will be in Ocean Shores at Chance A La Mer and at the Ocean City beach approach.
Thank you to Washington State Parks for supporting the cleanup by providing dumpster for disposal.
