Low tide brings cleanup of beach near Jerisich Dock

Mayor, kayakers team up to pull garbage from the harbor

Nate Hulings

of the Gateway

City officials and members of the Gig Harbor Canoe and Kayak team put down their agendas and paddles to help clean up the beach near Jerisich Dock last Thursday during low tide.

Ranging from sophisticated poles with mechanized grabbers, to rakes and hoes, about 20 volunteers spent the afternoon removing bottles, cans and anything else that didn’t belong in the water.

“It’s unsightly seeing all these cans,” said Alan Anderson, coach of the canoe and kayak team.

Cleanup of the area is important for Anderson and his national-caliber team, which launches from Jerisich Dock.

However, the cleanup wasn’t confined to landlubbers.

Zac Johnson, 17, a member of the canoe and kayak team, drove a pontoon boat around the perimeter of the dock to snag anything out of the dock-dwelling volunteers’ reach.

Johnson had the help of the Lewellen brothers: Charles, 16, was equipped with a net, while Will, 11, kept an eye on the water.

Gig Harbor City Council member Paul Conan also came to help. Equipped with green rubber boots and a rake, Conan expressed a need to give back.

“It’s a great chance to hang out at the water and do something nice for the community,” Conan said.

Gig Harbor Mayor Chuck Hunter, pitchfork in hand, removed multiple items from the water, including a barnacle-encrusted wine bottle.

A garbage can collected the treasures of the volunteers’ underwater plunder: rusted beer cans, wine bottles and an occasional clothing item.

Margaret Newellen, 14, retrieved a soggy sock among other items.

Some of the retrieved cans spent enough time underwater to become homes for crabs. Jim Christensen of Harbor WildWatch delicately cut the cans open and freed the trapped crustaceans.

For Will Lewellen, it was the first time he’d volunteered to pick up trash.

His motivation?

“It sounds like fun helping clean the harbor up,” he said.