NOAA Marine Debris Program e-Newsletter | February 2020

February 2020

Straws, bottle caps, shotgun wads, and other debris removed from South Bass Island State Park, OH (Photo: NOAA).

In This Issue

New Great Lakes Action Plan

Marine Debris Challenges in Alaska

Continuing a Legacy of Stewardship

Working Together for a Debris-Free Great Lakes

Casting a Wide Net in the Niagara River Watershed

Addressing Marine Debris in California

Sittin’ on the Dock of a Cleaner Richardson’s Bay

Upcoming Cleanups

Quick Links

Marine Debris Website
Marine Debris Blog
MDMAP Toolbox
ADV InfoHub
Clearinghouse

Marine Debris Tracker Mobile Application

Marine Debris Tracker App

Make a difference by using the Marine Debris Tracker app to record debris items you find.

2020 Calendar Available

2020 Marine Debris Calendar

Download the 2020 Marine Debris Calendar on our website now! (Cover art by contest winner Jennie C., Grade 8, Massachusetts).

The 2020 Marine Debris Calendar is available for download and calendar features artwork from thirteen students in grades K-8 grade, all winners of the “Keep the Sea Free of Debris” art contest.

Learn More

Upcoming Cleanups

February 7
Texas Adopt-A-Beach
Andy Bowie Park
South Padre Island, TX

February 8
Orange County Coastkeeper
Huntington State Beach
Huntington Beach, CA

February 8
I Love a Clean San Diego
Spring Valley County Park
Spring Valley, CA

February 8
Miami EcoAdventures
Crandon Park
Key Biscayne, FL

February 8
Surfrider O’ahu
Kahuku Point
O'ahu, HI

February 8
Cape Fear River Watch
McCumber's Ditch
Wilmington, NC

February 8
Blue Ocean Society
Jenness Beach
Rye, NH

February 8
Texas Adopt-A-Beach
Multiple locations across coastal Texas

February 13
Washington State University Extension
Fort Casey State Park
Coupeville, WA

February 15
Weeks Bay Foundation
Pelican Point
Yupon, AL

February 15
Heal the Bay
Torrance Beach
Torrance, CA

February 15
Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii
Kalapaki Beach
Lihue, Kaua’i, HI

February 15
Surfrider Maui
Kahului Harbor
Wailuku, Maui, HI

February 15
Lake Oswego Parks Stewardship
East Waluga Park
Lake Oswego, OR

February 15
Surfrider Newport
Agate Beach
Newport, OR

February 15
SOLVE
Hollywood District
Portland, OR

February 16
Pacific Beach Coalition
Manhattan Beach
Half Moon Bay, CA

February 16
Tybee Clean Beach
Marine Science Center
Tybee Island, GA

February 19
Puget Soundkeeper
Northwest Outdoor Center
Seattle, WA

February 22
Ocean Hour
Sanders Beach
Pensacola, FL

February 22
Mississippi Coastal Cleanup
Washington Street Pier
Bay St. Louis, MS

February 22
Clean Ocean Access
Second Beach
Middletown, RI

February 22
Texas Parks & Wildlife Department
Matagorda Bay, TX
Multiple Locations

February 23
Surfrider San Francisco
Baker Beach
San Francisco, CA

February 23
Clean Miami Beach
Collins Park
Miami Beach, FL

February 23
Sharkastics
Kukona Place
Wailuku, Maui, HI

February 28
Washington State University Extension
Deception Pass State Park
Oak Harbor, WA

February 29
Save Our Shores
Carmel River State Beach
Carmel-By-The-Sea, CA

February 29
Keep Wakulla County Beautiful
Hudson Park
Crawfordville, FL

February 29
MOC Marine Institute
Baldwin Beach Park
Paia, Maui, HI

February 29
Friends of Padre
Padre Island National Seashore
Corpus Christi, TX

Can't make it to a listed cleanup? Organize your own and use the Marine Debris Tracker!

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Website & Blog

New Great Lakes Marine Debris Action Plan

Great Lakes Marine Debris Action Plan Cover

Check out the new Great Lakes Marine Debris Action Plan!

We are pleased to share the 2020-2025 Great Lakes Marine Debris Action Plan. This document is the result of a collaborative effort between the NOAA Marine Debris Program and partners in Ontario, Canada and eight U.S. states (IL, IN, MI, MN, NY, OH, PA, WI), and represents a partner-led effort to guide marine debris actions in the Great Lakes for the next five years.

Learn More


Meeting the Challenge of Debris in Alaska

Holiday Beach

Marine debris on Holiday Beach near Kodiak, Alaska (Photo: Island Trails Network).

Alaska is often thought of as the “last frontier.” While common images of snow-covered mountains, isolated cabins, fishing boats, and amazing wildlife are all true to life, Alaska is also a place where marine debris is an especially challenging problem.

Learn More


Continuing a Legacy of Stewardship

Aleut Community of St. Paul Island cleanup crew

The Marine Debris Cleanup Crew removed 100 super sacks of debris from the shoreline of St. Paul Island (Photo: P. Chambers, Ocean Conservancy).

Historically, the tribal community of St. Paul Island, Alaska, walked their shorelines to remove debris, such as driftwood and animal bones, from the beaches, ensuring that the summer homes of laaqudan, or Northern Fur Seals, were clean and accessible. More recently, shorelines have become the constant end points for man-made debris. The community has continued to find innovative solutions to the marine debris issue, conserving the habitat of cherished wildlife.

Learn More


Working Together for a Debris-Free Great Lakes

Partners for Clean Streams Maumee River cleanup

Paddling marine debris back from a Maumee River island cleanup with Wood County Parks staff (Photo: Partners for Clean Streams).

Spanning eight states from Minnesota to New York and forming a water boundary between the United States and Canada, the Great Lakes region has the second largest coastline in the United States, behind Alaska. Unfortunately, the Great Lakes have had their fair share of environmental problems, including marine debris.

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Casting a Wide Net in the Niagara River Watershed

Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper removing bicycle

A volunteer removes a bicycle from the Niagara River watershed (Photo: Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper).

Western New York State lies in the heart of the lower Great Lakes Basin and includes the Niagara River Watershed. The Niagara River Watershed is notable for its important habitats, and has been internationally recognized as an important migratory route for birds. For 30 years, Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper has been preventing litter from polluting local waterways through land-based cleanups in the region.

Learn More


Addressing Marine Debris in California

Tijuana River NERR river basin

Debris accumulated in the Goat Canyon Sediment Basin in the Tijuana River Valley (Photo: Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve).

California is home to 12% of the nation’s population, with 26 million people living in counties along its 3,427 mile coastline. The average American generates an average of 4.5 lbs of trash per day (EPA estimate as of 2017) multiplied by 26 million people, that's 117,000,000 lbs of trash generated just from California's coastal population for one day! Inevitably some portion of that waste is littered, lost, or “leaked” through waste management and can eventually reach California’s coastal ocean and become marine debris.

Learn More


Sittin’ on the Dock of a Cleaner Richardson’s Bay

Richardsons Bay eel grass scarring

Visible “crop circles” are formed from the swing of anchor chains, which scour eel grass habitat (Photo: Audubon Society of California).

In 1967, soul singer Otis Redding wrote the hit song (Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay while visiting a friend’s houseboat on Richardson’s Bay, an inlet in northern San Francisco Bay. To this day, the area surrounding Richardson’s Bay has a bohemian vibe and is home to a melting pot of residents who share a historic maritime culture. However, in the last few years, the number of illegally anchored vessels in the area has nearly doubled, threatening water quality, navigation, and habitat.

Learn More