Port Hadlock WCC: Creosote Log Removal

Earlier in the year Rick crew swapped to do some creosote log removal off of the Dungeness Spit. He had quite the experience that made the rest of the crew slightly nervous about what to expect with this week. Monday morning we loaded up the truck and drove to Silverdale and met Kevin from DNR Aquatics. He gave us a rundown, the usual safety, history and SOP procedures and we went to work. The job was a lot of lifting. We had these cool tools called log tongs (eventually referred to as long-duck-dongs) that would pinch the logs and give us an efficient way to move the logs. We would grab logs that weren't too heavy with the log tongs and carry them to a large dumpster. We also picked up little bits of debris and some trash. At our first site there was a derelict vessel that we had to pull up the bank. If a log was to large to carry with the 6 of us we would cut it in pieces, but, if we did any cutting we would have to be certain to catch all the chips that fly off the chainsaw. So cutting was simultaneously helpful and frustrating. Creosote also increases photosensitivity in the skin and causes sun burns. A few of us on the crew got some pretty bad burns. By the end of the first day we managed to fill one of the large dumpsters and make it home safely and exhausted.
On Tuesday we wrapped up at the first site in Silverdale and surveyed our site for Wednesday and Thursday. Once we finished that we did creosote log surveys and trash removal at Shine Tidelands State Park. We walked along the beach and would take GPS coordinates and measurements of any creosote logs that we found for future reference. It was a beautiful day for a walk on the beach!
For Wednesday and Thursday we went to Point No Point, unanimously the crew's favorite site of the year. From the lighthouse here there are views from Mt. Baker all the way south to Mt. Rainier. It was very cool to be working here. Once the work began it was definitely helpful to be able to look up at the sights and get a bit of a boost. Anyway, Wednesday and Thursday were more of the same. Picking up, dragging, cutting creosote logs. We would take lunch and head to the Hansville store and get some ice cream or something cold and then head back to work.
After 4 days of work we filled up about 3 large dumpsters worth of creosote. We are all looking forward to the next time we get to work with Kevin after he told us there will be a helicopter involved.
Kevin gave us a pamphlet that described the importance of creosote log removal. It said that they have removed about 7500 tons of creosote over the last few years. That is an amazingly large number of creosote to have removed.