Volunteer Cheri Solien has a message for Tacoma: Pick it up!
Titlow Park & Lodge
Everyone has a different list of must-have’s to pack for an afternoon at the park, but Parks Tacoma’ volunteer Cheri Solien wants you to add one more: a disposable bag for litter.
“My specialty is keeping the beaches clean on the ‘natural’ side of the park,” said Solien on a recent walk around Titlow Park. “It’s where I spend most of my time.”
The natural area she’s referring to is Hidden Beach and the network of trails that stretch through the forest alongside it. Solien has been walking that stretch regularly for the past eight years picking up litter and says it’s a matter of taking pride in her neighborhood.
“My neighborhood park won’t have litter in it,” she declared when she moved to her home just a mile away. “I’m a mountaineer, a skier, a hiker. I’m always going to be in nature and I want it to be clean.”
Recently that’s become something of an uphill battle. Hidden Beach, as the name implies, is tucked out of view which makes it an attractive spot for late-night gatherings. Solien says she prefers to walk in the early morning and that it’s common to find the smoldering remains of a bonfire and detritus from the night before.
“I picked up 52 cans and bottles today,” she said while pointing out an obvious man-made fire pit on the sand. “This is one of the only sandy beaches in the city and I don’t want it to be ruined. I’m devoted to this park.”
Parks Tacoma is aware of the activity and taking steps to discourage it including working with Tacoma Police and the city’s parking enforcement to monitor vehicles present outside of park operating hours and emphasis patrols in the area by contracted security. Park code also prohibits the use of intoxicants, including marijuana and alcohol, and limits fires to portable barbecue use, dependent on current fire restrictions.
“I think [Titlow] beaches outshine Point Defiance, personally,” said Solien. “Owen Beach doesn’t have what we have.”
Solien’s litter crusade isn’t a new hobby, either. While walking around the park she reminisced about growing up along the Washington-Idaho border where her parents owned a small resort on Liberty Lake.
“It was only open from April to September for fishing and swimming, and our house was right across from the beach,” she said. “Every morning we had to go clean the beach. Mostly cigarette butts and wrappers.”
At the same time, First Lady of the United States Lady Bird Johnson was using her position to champion conservation efforts, joining Keep America Beautiful to promote the beautification of America through anti-litter campaigns in the 1960’s.
“Between growing up keeping the family beach clean and Lady Bird Johnson telling everyone to keep America clean it became a passion of mine,” said Solien.
On top of her daily walks to remove litter from the park, Solien has also helped secure grant funding over the years to install extra baggie stations and trash cans at Titlow and along Five Mile Drive in Point Defiance for dog owners to clean up after their pets.
“I’m a loudmouth,” she said with a laugh. “I’m a squeaky wheel. If I have a problem I make a big deal out of it.”
Her vision is for others to make a big deal out of it too. Even if you aren’t interested in joining a regularly scheduled litter pick-up event, something as simple as tucking a bag into your pocket and filling it on your walk can make a difference.
“We all have a part to play, whether you’re a parent at the playground, a beach comber, a runner or a dog walker. Leave the park a little bit cleaner than you found it,” she said. “It takes a village, or in this case all of Tacoma, to help care for our parks.”
Parks Tacoma’s CHIP-In program hosts over a dozen regular work parties and other organized litter cleanup events each month across the district. Find them all and sign up on the Volunteer Opportunities page.