State Seeks Volunteers to Help Clean Storm-Littered Beaches

As sunbathers basked amid the rubble on Ventura County beaches Monday, state parks officials were seeking volunteers to help clean up tons of debris and muck that washed ashore during the mammoth rainstorms two weeks ago.

Workers for the Channel Coast District of the state parks department said they hope that President Bush will approve enough federal disaster funds to hire a private firm to haul away giant piles of wood and garbage on nearly three miles of beach.

But in the meantime, officials are requesting that volunteers help gather debris in the area from the Ventura Harbor to Emma Wood State Beach. People who are interested in helping should meet at San Buenaventura State Beach on March 7 for the cleanup from 8 a.m. to noon, officials said.

“We want to get it done as soon as possible,” said Steve Treanor, district supervisor. “If we wait much longer, the waves will bring in sand and cover the debris, burying sharp objects just below the surface.”

But the rotting wood and junk didn’t keep sun worshipers away from the beach Monday. Lured to the water by warm temperatures, beach-goers climbed through the junk to reach the sand.

While some people combed the debris looking for souvenirs, others played with their children alongside the piles of rubble.

“We wanted to get out to the water,” said Stephane King, who took her three toddlers to the beach. “It’s amazing to see how everything fell apart and ended up here.”

King and her children did not go in the water. County health officials have warned against venturing into the waves because of high levels of pollution caused by the storms.

One woman at the beach said she was surprised to find such a large mess.

“It’s just ugly,” said Paige Bennett, sitting in the shadow of the Ventura Pier with her 4-year-old son. “It bothers me to see it this way. . . . It was such a pretty area.”

She said her husband, who owns a bulldozer, is considering joining the volunteer cleanup effort.

So far, parks department officials said they have received many inquiries from people who want to help clear the beach. People who want to volunteer can contact parks department officials at 654-4611 or 654-4632.

“The phone has been ringing off the hook,” Treanor said. “There are lots of people who are interested. I’m surprised.”

Andrew Zilke, the ranger who is organizing the volunteer cleanup, said participants should wear gloves and long-sleeved shirts while combing the beach for debris.

“This is not really a high-powered cleanup,” he said. “But hopefully we can scour a lot of beach in a few hours.”

He said helpers are allowed to keep as much firewood as they like.

“We have just an incredible quantity of wood,” Zilke said.

Since the storms ended, the parks department has been conducting some cleanup efforts, concentrated in the Emma Wood beach area.

On Monday, 10 members of the California Conservation Corps helped park rangers remove trash and mud from the picnic and camping area at Emma Wood beach, which is expected to be reopened by April.

Zilke said officials are still trying to figure out what to do with all the rubbish. He said they are considering having the wood ground into chips. The rest of the garbage will be hauled to a landfill.

Treanor said the Ventura Regional Sanitation District has offered to give parks department officials 15 free passes to the dump, for a savings of about $10,000.

“That will be a real help,” he said.