It feels a lot like herding cats, keeping the various Ikkatsu Project programs on track and on schedule. When one wraps up for the season, another has already started up. It can be difficult keeping it all straight and I really appreciate the calendar app on my phone… without it, I doubt I’d make a single meeting.

What’s getting up and running now is this year’s South Kuiu cleanup. A dozen volunteers, a full schedule of remote beach surveys and cleanups, an emphasis this year on kayaking as a practical way to get around in a big country… it’s all starting to take shape.

There’s still another kayak we need to get from somewhere, dumpsters to be set up at the Port of Wrangell to fill with debris that we are able to bring in on the jet boat, phone calls with the Forest Service and others to see about transport options for the larger items we collect, endless lists of supplies, some we have, some we still need to get. It’s time-consuming, with more than the daily recommended amount of telephone and internet hours being used at the moment.

But it will be worth it.