Washington Agency Uses Helicopters to Clean Up Abandoned Boats

 

The Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is taking an unusual approach to dealing with derelict vessels that wash up on remote shorelines. In a recent cleanup project, it used helicopters to lift 14 boats from the shoreline of Squaxin Island in Puget Sound.

Using its wildfire helicopters and ground personnel, DNR conducted the operation as part of its Derelict Vessel Removal program. The boats had been washed ashore or left behind to deteriorate, posing a serious risk to the Island’s ecosystem. Because of their deteriorated state, floating the boats out was not an option.

Through a $1 million grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), DNR was able to fund the operation, partnering with the Squaxin Tribe and the Port of Olympia. A total of 14 abandoned vessels were airlifted and flown across Budd Inlet to DNR's Marine Station, north of Squaxin Park in Olympia, where they will be stored awaiting proper disposal. DNR posted a TikTok video about the operation, complete with a popular musical-theater soundtrack.

Once occupied by the Squaxin Tribe, the island is only accessible to tribal members and is used for fishing, hunting, shellfish gathering, camping, and other activities.

DNR says that abandoned vessels have become a menace to Washington’s waterways, posing risks to public safety and the health of the marine environment. Since instituting the Derelict Vessel Removal program in 2002, the department has removed more than 1,200 abandoned or neglected vessels from Washington's waterways.

In the Puget Sound, cases of abandoned vessels sinking, leaking contaminants, breaking apart in the water, and releasing hazardous materials into the marine environment are rampant. By removing them from the Squaxin Island tribal tidelands, DNR hopes to prevent future accumulation of the boats in order to preserve the ecosystem.