Our Pier, Our Responsibility. Please do not leave anything behind...put your trash in the trash cans. Love Pacifica Pier.

Pacifica Pier needs us, the people who enjoy walking on it, fishing and crabbing off of it, and photographing it.

I walked out onto the pier recently just after the gates were opened after the storm; I wanted to see what it looked like. I thought it would have been cleaned from the storm.

The attached photos are a small sample of what I found. I counted as I picked it all up: 500 cigarette butts, over 200 pieces of Zip Ties from crab pots, and over 200 gobs of fishing line entangled with seaweed.

Did you know that an ordinance was passed in 2006 (11 years ago) prohibiting smoking on the Pacifica Pier and any beaches or areas around it? The purpose was to prevent the toxins from cigarette products getting into our food supply, to keep the ocean water clean, and to keep us all healthy.

I spoke with a couple of fishermen at the far end of the pier. They told me that they do their part and don't litter. They had memories of the good old days when the Pacifica Pier was better maintained with city staff cleaning it. My response to that is that it shouldn't need to be cleaned...and it wouldn't if nobody littered. The Pacifica Pier has many garbage cans on it for easy access. People pass them as they leave, why don't they use them?

Rather than depend upon someone else to clean up after us, I vote we take care of ourselves. Rather than have the Police writing you tickets, you can police your area and keep it clean. Don't ignore anything dropped on the ground, pick it up and stow it before the wind blows it into the ocean. Plan ahead, bring a bag to stow your trash be it cut fishing line, bait containers, lunch packaging, zip ties, or whatever.

The Pacifica Pier draws visitors from all over....its a really cool place to be and obviously a great place to catch dinner. Let's take pride in ownership. Be an example, Each one, Teach one: don't litter, pick up litter, put a little Peer Pressure on your peers on the pier.

Do what you can do....and thank you.

Claudia Reinhart