In the spirit of Earth Day we decided it was time for Chinook Shores Lodge to make a stronger commitment to serving our environment. We sponsored a neighborhood Earth Day event to help clean up Potter Road, Knudson Cove Road and the areas north of Knudson Cove Marina.

The truth is, our neighbors are very environmentally-conscious. The garbage we collected today was from the local bears who tear into our dumpsters all summer and fall, and hide trash deep in the woods.

Potter Road Park Association

Promoters of Earth Day suggest people commit to acts of service on or around Earth Day by planting trees, cleaning up streams or helping local community gardens. Our neighborhood is surrounded by old-growth trees, the big blue ocean and a lot of really great people. You can see the great work they’ve done on at the park’s two acres of wooded ground, picnic shelter and fire pit on the way to our lodge.

Wear Green, for a Great Cause

Show your Act of Green! The Potter Road Park Association (PRPA) — a non-profit created to develop a park at the Clover Pass School building on Potter Road — sells a variety of t-shirts to raise funds for maintenance and upkeep. The PRPA manages the area, maintains the historical schoolhouse, preserves history and offers an area for small community groups to gather.

Recycling in Ketchikan

Living on an island make it challenging to take advantage of national recycle programs. However, we can all do our part. Here’s how we separate our garbage for ease of recycling at our local landfill:

Corrugated Cardboard: Corrugated cardboard is comprised of three layers of paper that include an inside liner, an outside liner, and fluting with a ruffled shape that runs in between the two layers. Corrugated cardboard can be separated for recycling at the Ketchikan Landfill. Conversely, regular cardboard (which typically refers to a thick paper stock or heavy paper-pulp used for making things like cereal boxes and greeting cards) cannot be separated at the Ketchikan Landfill. Chinook Shores Lodge collects corrugated cardboard and delivers it to the receptacle next to the weighing station at the Ketchikan Landfill.

Aluminum: A cold beverage goes hand-in-hand with a warm summer day, and there is no shortage of beer or soft drinks at the lodge each season. Luckily aluminum cans are easy to collect and recycle. Recycling aluminum cans saves a considerable amount of energy, reduces carbon dioxide emissions and the amount of waste headed into landfills. Chinook Shores Lodge collects cans and delivers them to the receptacle next to the weighing station at the Ketchikan Landfill.

Glass: Recycling glass saves energy because compared to making glasss from raw materials for the first time, cullet melts at a lower temperature. Also, recycling glass reduces the space in landfills that would otherwise be taken up by used bottles and jars. Chinook Shores Lodge collects glass jars, wine and liquor bottles and delivers those to the receptacle next to the big buildings at the Ketchikan Landfill.

What We Can Do to Protect Fish?

According to the Earth Day Organization, “toxins in litter can leach out into the water supply and be absorbed by the plants and animals that consume the water. It is important to collect waste, especially when it is in or close to waterways to prevent pollution of the local water supply.” Unfortunately, Ketchikan does not recycle plastic; however, we can all make a difference by limiting consumption of plastic products and items such as cigarette butts, plastic bottles, bottle caps, food wrappers, grocery bags, plastic cup lids, straws and stirrers.

Here are some other things we can all do to protect fish:

• Educate yourself about threats to ocean ecosystems with our Oceans Plastic Pollution Quiz.
• Help end plastic pollution by learning about the actions you can take with our Plastic Pollution Primer and Action toolkit.
• Check out all of Earth Day Network’s resources to help Protect Our Species.
• Prevent water pollution: Prevent water pollution by properly disposing of waste or recyclables and reducing or eliminating lawn and garden fertilizers from your yard. Plastic waste in waters is a big problem for fish, with ingestion and entanglement among the largest threats. Take action by joining or organizing a beach or river clean up, switching to reusable bags, and reducing plastic consumption. This will significantly help prevent and reduce the risk to fish and other marine life.
• Support sustainable fisheries: Over-fishing can deplete the population of fishes past the point of recovery.
  • Adhere to sport fishing regulations as mandated by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Understand and remain updated about Ketchikan area fishing regulations for salmon, rock fish shellfish and cod.
  • Stay informed about sport fishing regulations for Pacific Halibut and other federally managed fisheries.
  • Consider joining or supporting the Alaska Charter Association, Southeast Alaska Guides Organization, Marine Stewardship Council or other organizations fighting to preserve and protect the resources for Alaska’s recreational anglers.
• Buy fish from certified sustainable sources to help ensure that the fish and their ecosystems continue to thrive. To learn more about the different types of eco-labeling, click here.

Comments & Questions

Let us know if you have ideas about how Chinook Shores Lodge can be more environmentally friendly, or if you want to get involved with protecting oceans and fish!

Quote-able Quotes

“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” ~ Albert Einstein

You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” ~ Jane Goodall

“Working at Chinook Shores Lodge provides amazing opportunities to see wildlife and marine life in the natural environment and we should all do our part to keep it that way.” ~ McKinley Angerman Kellogg