LIHU‘E – Timbers Kauai is teaming up with ocean-minded community organizations on Saturday for an annual event that brings together the community to clean Kaua‘i beaches and promote beach cleanups on the island.
The 2020 Kaua‘i Sustainable Coastlines Hawai‘i Cleanup is hosted every year by Sustainable Coastlines Hawai‘i, Kaua‘i chapter of the Surfrider Foundation, the B-Rad Foundation and Kaua‘i Sailing Association.
On Feb 15, everything kicks off at Nawiliwili Park in the morning for the 5th annual cleanup, which will disperse community members to several beaches and then provide lunch at Nawiliwili Park, complete with live music and games.
“Marine debris and plastic pollution is a huge problem,” said Surfrider Vice Chair, and Co-Coordinator for Beach Cleanup and Net Patrol Barbara Wiedner. “Getting the community to work together on large scale events like this is a great way to educate our community.”
Volunteers will be sent by buses and private vehicles to clean the coastlines by Ninini Lighthouse, Kalapaki Beach and Unulau Bay.
Volunteers should arrive at Nawiliwili Park at about 8:30 a.m. and be in attendance for a safety debriefing at about 9:15 a.m. Buses taking volunteers to Ninini and Unulau Bay will depart from 9:30 to 10 a.m. The last bus back to Nawiliwili Park will be at 12:30 p.m. Lunch will be served in the beach park from about 12:30 to 2 p.m., courtesy of Greenery Cafe in Lihu‘e. Music and games will be available.
Event organizers advise only adults, expert hikers and those with endurance attend the Unulau portion of the cleanup, as it involves hiking and a boat trip. Families who are not interested in an endurance hike cleanup can go to Ninini, Kalapaki beach and the jetty area (area before the hike to Unulau bay). Those who do join in the Unulau cleanup should bring hiking boots and a backpack to carry full water bottles.
Volunteers are encouraged to bring both sun and rain protection, reef-safe sunscreen and a reusable water bottle. Some drinking water will be available, but attendees are encouraged to bring extra.
Because of the rough terrain in the Unulau Bay area, and the amount of debris along the shoreline, Wiedner explains removing all that collected debris will be a two-step process.
“Jack Harter Helicopter will be removing the debris via a airlift on another day-hopefully in the near future,” Wiedner said.
Surfrider Kaua‘i is looking for core volunteers to help with this event. They need help with setup, cleanup and working the booths. If you would like to help, call: 808-635-2593.
