Volunteers To Cleanup Beaches At Lake Chelan

The public is invited to join the “Restore the Shore” beach cleanup at Lake Chelan this Saturday. 

Volunteers are being asked to bring their own reusable trash bags to help clean up trash at the main beach near downtown Chelan, as well as two several other high traffic beach areas. 

Some volunteers will be sent to spots on the lake's south shore near state parks, while others will be sent to waterfronts in the Manson area. 

Lisa Dowling with Chelan County Natural Resources says there'll also be a focus on picking up fragments of harmful aquatic weeds. 

"We're also hoping to have folks pickup Eurasian milfoil," said Dowling. "These are an invasive species that can propagate just from small fragments. That's how that species works."  

Dowling said there are a number of infested areas along the Columbia River where milfoil have made water activity difficult. 

Once introduced into a river or lake, milfoil rapidly forms thick mats that can make swimming, boating and fishing difficult.  

It can cause drowning by tangling swimmers in the thick beds. 

In addition, it alters rivers and lakes by choking out native plants, thus damaging fish and wildlife habitat. 

Dowling says the beach cleanup was scheduled for this weekend for a reason. 

“It’s opportunistic for us to try to target this time of year just because of the water being down so much,” Dowling said. “You get a lot more access to the beach. So, from a trash standpoint, you’re going to have more of an ability to pick up items off the beach.” 

Restore the Shore, which organizers are hoping to make an annual event, is 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday. Volunteers are asked to meet at the city’s marina parking lot (near the go-carts and across from Chelan Market). Volunteers will be organized into groups to cover specific sections of the beach. 

Volunteers are asked to RSVP here. 

In addition to reusable bags, volunteers are being asked to bring their own gloves and trash grippers or pickers and dress for the weather. 

Several groups with an interest in preserving Lake Chelan are sponsoring this weekend's cleanup effort. 

Restore the Shore is organized by the Keep It Blue Lake Chelan campaign, the Lake Chelan Research Institute and The Chelan Project of Chelan High School. Joining in the efforts are Campbell’s Resort, the city of Chelan and the Planning Association of Washington and.