One for the bucket list

Spring is right around the corner, and extra items on the beach left by winter storms and beach visitors who didn’t practice pack-in-pack-out behavior mean beach cleanups will be extra fruitful. 

Friends of Netarts Bay is hoping you will dust off your boots and head out with your family or household for a self-guided cleanup of the Netarts Bay and surrounding beaches — and play a round of bingo for a chance to win prizes while you’re at it. 

To play, download a bingo card filled with things you might find on the beach as you clean: cigarette butts, plastic utensils, single-use masks, plastic straws and more. Just like the traditional game, when you get five in a row you have a bingo.

To download a printable card and see further rules and submission details, go to netartsbaywebs.org.

Prizes include gift certificates to local restaurants, including the Schooner Restaurant and Lounge, an Oceanside mug from Wilson River Pottery, an 8x10 original photography print from Girl In Water Photography, a set of Netarts- and Oceanside-inspired gift cards, photography prints from local biologist and professional photographer Jim Young, a super comfy zip-up hoodie and more.

Friends of Netarts Bay will collect BINGO cards and award prizes every month through May. Beach Bucket Bingo is open to people who clean up beaches from just south of Cape Lookout to just north of Cape Meares. If you’re not sure if your beach counts, just reach out and ask.  

Be sure to keep safety in mind as you clean. Check the local weather, surf and tide forecast. Watch the waves from higher ground for 20 minutes before moving closer to the water and never turn your back on the ocean.