Volunteers find fiberglass boat parts and other debris along Macklyn Cove beach. Submitted photo

Group collect 1,500 pounds of debris

Volunteers cleaned an estimated 1,500 pounds of trash from local beaches last weekend, and they plan another assault Saturday.

Organizer Bill Vogel urges those who want to help with a second cleanup to meet at 10 a.m. at McVay Rock. To reach the rock from Highway 101, go west on Benham Lane and turn onto Oceanview Drive for 2.2 miles.

Much of the material now littering the coast is Styrofoam knocked afloat by last year’s tsunami, Vogel said. It stretches from a half mile south of McVay Rock to Macklyn Cove, he said.

Fiberglass boat parts and a lounge chair were other items that a dozen volunteers hauled from the beaches last Saturday, when they worked from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m., primarily at Macklyn Cove.

Among the targets this coming Saturday will be a large concrete portion of the pier, formerly located at the Port of Brookings Harbor but now resting north of McVay Rock. Vogel said port personnel will bring a power saw to cut the large block into pieces that can be carried away.

Lots of Styrofoam remains, too, with small pieces having caught in vegetation above the shore. Vogel said it’s an environmental threat, especially to wildlife that might try to eat the small white pellets.

“There are spots on the beach where you can see animals have been in there working on it,” he said. “We didn’t get all the Styrofoam (last Saturday). There’s still a lot there, and it’s going to be showing up for months.

“We’re going to be picking up Styrofoam for a long time.”

He suggests that people who walk the beaches carry plastic bags with them so they can pick up pieces of Styrofoam.

In addition, Vogel urges those who see Styrofoam or other materials on the beach to call him at 541-469-3640 so he can organize future cleanup sessions.