 Coastal Cleanup Day
Saturday, September 19, 2009
9 am to noon
For more information, or to sign up for the limited spots on the Morro Bay Sand Spit cleanup, please contact Shari Sullivan via email or Annie Gillespie at or 540-0861. More information is also available at Eco Slo.org
San Luis Obispo County Creek Cleanup Day
Saturday, October 3, 2009 at sites throughout the county. More information at Creek Day.org
|
by Shari Sullivan
Education and Outreach Coordinator
It's that time again . . . summer is drawing to a close and our beaches and coastline are quieting down after a very busy season. I love the quiet, but I'm always saddened by the high volume of trash left behind. If you've walked the beaches lately, or even just watched the tidal flow in and out of the bay, you're sure to have seen the increase in cans, bottles, and plastics that should have made their way into recycling bins.
City streets and parking lots bear more trash than other times of the year as well. Once the rains come, all that debris will be washed into stormdrains, which dump directly into creeks and then into the bay or ocean. Luckily, there's a very simply solution to the problem, known as marine debris, that everyone can be a part of.
What Is Marine Debris?
At its most basic, marine debris is trash that has made its way to the coast or ocean, and it's a problem both globally and locally.
The majority of marine debris is plastic, nearly 90 percent according to some estimates. Plastic is especially harmful to wildlife because of its buoyancy, durability, and potential to absorb and concentrate environmental toxins. Additionally, most plastics are extremely stable and do not biodegrade like other materials. Instead, they photodegrade, breaking into increasingly smaller pieces called "microplastics." These tiny pieces of styrofoam and other plastics will outlive us by hundreds if not thousands of years.
The legendary Great Pacific Garbage Patch, sometimes referred to as the gyre, is an astonishing example of plastic pollution. Located in the North Pacific Subtropical Convergence Zone north of Hawaii, it's estimated that this mass of plastic debris would be at least the size of the state of Texas if brought together. It is believed to consist predominantly of small particles suspended just below the water's surface, and no one has figured out a way to clean it up yet.
The remainder of marine debris consists primarily of metals (nearly 75% of metal is used only once) and glass.
What Problems Does Marine Debris Cause?
Perhaps the question should really be what problems doesn't it cause? Marine debris impacts human and wildlife health and safety, economics, and navigation globally.
Wildlife can easily become entangled in items, such as discarded fishing gear and six-pack containers, resulting in injury, suffocation, and starvation. Other forms of debris look like food to fish, birds, turtles, and mammals. Once ingested, the debris may be poisonous, or may fill the animal's stomach so they starve to death.
While humans fare better than wildlife, it's no fun to injure feet and hands on glass and metal left on beaches or swimming areas. The bacterial nightmare of soiled diapers and other bacteria laden trash provides a real health concern for anyone in the water.
Even boats suffer when encountering marine debris. In one survey of an Oregon port, 58 percent of fishermen reported marine debris related equipment damage with an average repair cost over $2,700.
How Does It Get There?
Trash doesn't need to be dumped directly into the water or left at the beach to end up as marine debris. Take a look around your neighborhood. When it rains, trash is washed into gutters and storm drains. Generally, storm drains dump directly into the closest waterway without treatment, and then on to the bay or the ocean.
What Can You Do?
Anyone can help by picking up trash and disposing of it properly, whether at the beach or walking in your neighborhood. Other simple actions that make a difference include;
· Limit the amount of packaging and disposable items you buy.
· Reuse and recycle.
· Keep trash, especially cigarette butts, off streets and beaches.
· Keep storm drains clean – never dump paint, motor oil, or other toxins in the drains.
· Always properly dispose of fishing gear.
· Participate in Coastal Cleanup Day on September 19th.
· Participate in SLO County Creek Cleanup Day on October 3.
· Learn more at Marine Debris.noaa.gov.
More information on this and other estuary related topics can be found at the Morro Bay National Estuary Program website.
|
