The 580,000-Pound Marine Debris Problem in the San Juans
The effort, led by the Samish tribe, is generating interest and winning awards on its way to cleaning up the San Juan archipelago
By Megan Toal April 23, 2018
This article originally appeared in the April 2018 issue of Seattle magazine.
This article appears in print in the April 2018 issue. Click here to subscribe.
580,090. That’s the number of pounds of marine debris, beach litter and chemically treated wood (creosote) removed over the past four years from Samish traditional territory in the San Juan archipelago in a joint project between the Samish Indian Nation Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Washington State Department of Natural Resources.
The effort has been so productive that a map to track its progress (samishtribe.nsn.us) has won a barrel of awards.
“When it started, I didn’t know it would be such a powerful tool,” says map creator and Samish DNR geographic information systems analyst, Casey Palmer-McGee, who uses the data “to prioritize our clean up efforts and remove debris from the largest contaminated areas.”
The cleanup project continues into 2018.
An interactive map at samishtribe.nsn.us is color coded by year to show the pounds of debris collected since 2014
Follow Us
Free Waterfront Shuttle Returns
Hop on and off all summer
Getting around downtown during the city’s best months just got easier for everyone. Seattle’s Free Waterfront Shuttle began last week, with six stops along Seattle’s waterfront. Three shuttles operate daily, arriving every 15 minutes at each stop. Running from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and likely continuing into September, the shuttle connects key spots such…
What Now for Bartell Drugs?
Parent company Rite Aid again files for bankruptcy, seeks sale
The future of Bartell Drugs just got murkier. Parent company Rite Aid filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Monday, just eight months after it exited Chapter 11. The company says customers “can continue to access pharmacy services and products in stores and online,” though customers and health care providers have complained of poor service and…
Microsoft Awards $5M Worth Of Grants To AI innovators
The grants are part of the company’s 50th anniversary this year
Microsoft has given 20 organizations $50,000 each as part of its AI for Good grants program. The grants — part of an initiative to celebrate Microsoft’s 50th anniversary this year — recognize organizations for their innovations in artificial intelligence. The organizations — who applied for the grants earlier this year — receive resources to help…
Seattle Commute Survey Shows More Office Activity
Both transit travel and driving trips are on the rise
Downtown Seattle foot traffic still isn’t nearly what it was prior to the pandemic, but more people are commuting to offices on a regular basis. The 2024 Commute Seattle Survey finds that both transit travel and drive-alone trips are on the rise as remote working drops. Citywide, the percentage of people reporting that their jobs…