Develop and implement a systematic and comprehensive program to remove visible litter and plastics from the shorelines of the San Antonio Bay-Guadalupe Estuary System.
The program will involve recruiting and mobilizing volunteers to clean up over 130 miles of shoreline, removing what is anticipated to be mostly consumer plastics by foot, kayak, or by boat, as appropriate for the shoreline. (This activity is similar to the Abandoned Crab Trap Removal Program coordinated by SABP each February.) Additionally, a survey of marsh shorelines will be conducted to ascertain the magnitude of the issue in the marsh systems.
A data collection protocol will be developed to estimate both the volume and type of trash collected (e.g., 5 gal buckets, water/soda bottles, other consumer plastic containers, aluminum cans, commercial or recreational fishing debris, ...) and a media campaign developed to educate the public on what they can do to reduce marine litter.
The inaugural program will be conducted on Sept 12, 2020 in conjunction with land based TGLO Beach Cleanup.