— from Stan Matthews —
Photo: County Staff
County workers had to use the Public Works boat like a landing craft and even rappel down a steep embankment to removed sixty tires dumped illegally on a remote San Juan Island beach. The tires were a challenge to retrieve because they lay on a remote, rocky shoreline at the base of a bluff in the Land Bank’s Deadman Bay Preserve on the west side of the Island.
The Public Works boat was brought in on Friday, March 21, because of its hauling capacity and ability to operate in shallow water. Its retractable launch-gate made it possible to load the tires directly on to its deck. Land Bank staff member Doug McCutchen’s put his rappelling skills to work, recovering tires hung up in trees and on rocky outcroppings.
Staff from four County Departments — the Sheriff’s Department, Public Works, Community Development, and the Land Bank — participated in the cleanup.
The dumping was first reported to the County’s Code Enforcement Officer on March 12. The Sheriff’s Department is trying to determine who dumped the tires on the beach.
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