‘Restore the Shore’ cleanup set for March 21

CHELAN — Volunteers from across the Lake Chelan community are invited to take part in the fourth annual “Restore the Shore” shoreline cleanup on Saturday, March 21, as organizers work to remove trash and protect one of Washington’s most recognized lakes.

The community-wide cleanup will begin at 9:30 a.m., with volunteers meeting at the City Lakeshore Marina parking lot between the drive-in and go-carts across from Chelan Market. Participants are also welcome to head directly to designated shoreline cleanup areas.

Each cleanup site will have a designated “beach leader” wearing a reflective vest who will be available to answer questions, help coordinate volunteers and collect trash at the end of the event. Information about cleanup locations and volunteer sign-ups is available at lakechelanresearchinstitute.com.

Organizers will again track debris collected during the cleanup using TrashBlitz, a free mobile application developed by the 5 Gyres Institute that catalogs litter collected during environmental efforts. The app is available through Google Play and the App Store.

Participants can log the trash they collect through the app, drop off trash at the Lake Chelan Research Institute office at 601 W. Woodin Ave., or give it to a beach leader stationed at each cleanup location. TrashBlitz codes for each shoreline section are listed on the Lake Chelan Research Institute website under the “Restore the Shore” page.

The event is organized through a partnership between Keep It Blue–Lake Chelan, the Lake Chelan Research Institute and The Chelan Project at Chelan High School, with support from local organizations and businesses.

Following the cleanup, volunteers are invited to a reception hosted by Campbell’s Resort from 1 to 3 p.m. in the resort’s Park Room on Woodin Avenue. The resort will provide complimentary coffee, tea, cocoa and pastries to participants.

Last year’s event demonstrated the scale of the cleanup effort. In 2025, volunteers removed more than 15,500 pieces of trash from the lake. According to organizers, the majority of items collected were plastic (48%), followed by glass or ceramic (29%) and metal (14%). The most common types of debris were food and drink products (23.6%), fishing gear (16.9%) and confetti (12.7%).

Organizers encourage volunteers to bring a reusable bag or bucket, gloves and a phone or camera to help document collected debris.

The shoreline cleanup will run from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on March 21. Trash can also be dropped off at the Lake Chelan Research Institute office during the event.

More information about the event, including volunteer registration and cleanup locations, is available at lakechelanresearchinstitute.com.

For more information, contact Anna Galipeau at 425-765-4449 or anna.j.galipeau@outlook.com