Watershed Cleanup Day 2012 at success!

L. to R. Mikayla Osmer, Annaliese Chamberlin-Holt, Colby Graham,
Kale Gonzalez, Tanner Huntingford, Anna Brown, Ben Allen, Andi Niesen,
Marcelle Thimgan, Sam Allen,  Jennifer Fujii, Mary Pitts, Susan Piper,
Rosie Wilcox, Mike Spears, Jessica Kaahanui, Dan Collins and Ian Jablonski.




Susan Piper, U.S. Forest Service administrator.
Thank you to all the volunteers and 4-H Stewardship Program youth who worked on the Watershed Cleanup Day. We hauled four truck loads of garbage out of the forest! Youthful energies made all the difference - especially with the 50 gallon tank, bed springs and large heater tank brought up the slopes!

We could not have done this work without all our wonderful partners. Thank you to those people and organizations, who make this service opportunity available to our Jefferson County youth including:
  • 4-H Stewardship Program Crew Chiefs (Marcelle Thimgan and Andi Niesen)
  • City of Port Townsend Water Department (Ian Jablonski and Mike Spears) 
  • U.S. Forest Service (Jennifer Fujii and Susan Piper) 
  • WSU Beach Watchers (Mary Pitts) 
  • Pacific Northwest Trail Association (Dan Collins) 
  • Jefferson County 4-H (Pamela Roberts and Howard Gilbert) 
  • Jefferson County Solid Waste and Jefferson County Health Department
Andi Niesen, 4-H Crew Chief, talks with 4-H Stewardship Program participants during Watershed Cleanup Day.
The Watershed Cleanup Day is an annual event sponsored by the 4-H Stewardship Program and the U.S. Forest Service to clean up areas of the Quilcene watershed that provide drinking water to the City of Port Townsend.

Youth lead the way in meticulously picking up garbage such as spent bullet casings from a forest quarry where people like to target shoot, as well as bottles, cans, old appliances, box springs, cabinets, chairs, cement blocks and more.

The variety of items is truly interesting.

Our hope is that with each cleanup event we will make a dent in the garbage thrown into the forest environments. The largest concern is with water quality and the need to keep the area clean of toxic substances and pollutants. This program helps our youth learn more about stewardship principles and the importance of caring for the environment.
4-H Stewardship Program participants pick up spent bullet casings in a U.S. Forest Service quarry.