Viewpoints
Gravina Island Clean-up
By Jerry Cegelske
October 09, 2006
Monday
Thanks to the Tongass Chapter of the Society of American Foresters
for cleaning up their section of North Tongass Highway. They
were lacking one piece because I picked it up. I was on my way
to the Gravina Island Clean-up the morning of September 9th and
was following a truck when I observed trash blowing out the back
of the truck. I took some pictures of the truck and picked up
the trash so I will be issuing a citation for that.
Mary Hastings was again working on the Clean-up along with Wylie
Allen, Mark Hanzilk, Jim Pomplun, Aaron Anderson and others the
second weekend. The tide was much lower the second weekend which
exposed material not previously observed. Besides collecting
additional material, the material collected the previous weekend
was transported to a dumpster near the Harbormasters office for
removal to the landfill. It is really amazing what had been
collected, an outhouse, jet airplane tire, baby bottle, carpet,
refrigerators, drivers license, ropes, and a thousand other things.
It totaled over 6660 pounds but didn't include the batteries
which were recycled with the help of Wylie Allen.
Two boats were removed from the shoreline on the 9th and 10th.
This week two more were being cut up in preparation for future
removal; the cement sailboat and the iron barge. The Gravina
Shoreline will gradually change from a littered landscape to
a cleaner place to recreate with the hard work of the volunteers.
It may be nice to see the boats on the shore from the Ketchikan
side, but viewing the remains with engines leaking oil, batteries
dumping acid into the water. The trash left behind by the collapsing
boats is not pretty when you have to clean the mess up.
A third cleanup is scheduled for the14th of October when tides
will be favorable for collection of material and removal of trash.
I hope to see you there.
Jerry Cegelske
Code Enforcement Officer - KGB
Ketchikan, AK - USA
Received October 09, 2006 - Published October 09, 2006
A sunken boat near Clump Island scheduled for removal
A collection of ropes
gathered near Clump Island
Chains, battery and
stainless roller stand collected for removal
The remains of a boat
removed from the beach
Boat stove removed
from the beach
Jim Pomplun, Wylie
Allen, and Mark Hanzilk remove pieces of a former vessel
Part of the over 6660
pounds of trash collected from Gravina Island on September 2&3
and 9th and 10th
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