A private landowner with property at the opening of Deer Lagoon is the first to clean up the creosote debris littering her beach and tidelands. Deer Lagoon is a sensitive wetland in Island County, as well as a bird sanctuary. Tony originally went to the woman's home to repair a bulkhead. During initial conversations regarding the bulkhead repair, she learned of Tony's efforts around creosote awareness. Tony noticed a strong odor of creosote and asked her if he could remove the material. When she realized Tony's work could benefit her, she had him remove 15 tons of creosoted material from her property.

The following articles appeared in The South Whidbey Record in 2003, and on KING5 News in 2003. The pictures following the articles are of the creosoted material piled onto the driveway awaiting removal to an approved landfill.

Part of the property, this spit at the mouth of Deer Lagoon, is approx. 40' wide x 120' long. Fifteen tons of creosoted pilings were removed from this small area. Approximately one in every seven logs on the spit were creosoted material. The odor was gone and the air smelled good again.