On a sunny, Saturday morning, April 29, over 100 dedicated and hardworking community volunteers mobilized to remove approximately two and a half tons of trash, debris and recyclables from the Mendenhall Wetlands State Game Refuge at Sunny Point and Auk Nu Cove at Auke Bay.
Volunteers removed a slew of items: plastics, lost toys, industrial debris, and notably, a derelict “barge” full of Styrofoam which volunteers broke up and literally hauled away, piece by piece. Following the cleanup, the Alaskan Brewing Co. generously sponsored a participant party.
Two day later, on a rainy Monday morning, May 1, NorthStar Trekking made an extraordinary contribution of two, donated helicopter lifts, totaling approximately 850 pounds of additional material, including tires, treated wood, trash and Styrofoam, that was all delivered to the Waste Management landfill, with no charge.
We thank the staff and members of the Southeast Alaska Land Trust, and our partners: the Alaska Airlines Green Team, the Alaskan Brewing Company, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Alaska Geographic, Discovery Southeast, Juneau Audubon Society, Litter Free, NorthStar Trekking, Wells Fargo, and Waste Management, for their tremendous in-kind and personal contributions to this annual cleanup.
Many thanks also to the businesses that helped us advertise the event, including the JAHC, the Juneau Empire, KINY, and KTOO. Special thanks to Sally and Frank Rue, and to Nancy Waterman &Bill Leighty, for their coordination efforts and mid-morning muffins and coffee; to Jim and Mary Lou King for the use of their driveway to lug away trash; and to Amanda Pilley and Daryl Mestas, Frank Rue, Dave Haas, and Bruce Denton for providing truck transportation for getting material to the recycling center and landfill. This was a partnership, a community effort, and a success.
With gratitude to all who participated,
The staff and Board of the Southeast Alaska Land Trust
