The Fort Pulaski Marine Debris Initiative is a two part project which will focus on the 5,000+ acres of salt marsh at Fort Pulaski National Monument.
The first part is a one day cleanup event scheduled for April 21, 2012. Volunteers from Clean Coast and the general public will be recruited to paddle the tidal creeks at Fort Pulaski during high tide, when the floating debris is most accessible, to remove the debris and record the amount and types of debris found. Clean Coast owns a 24 ft. Carolina skiff which will be used to collect filled bags of trash from the kayakers and provide first aid and other support as needed. After a lunch break, a smaller group of volunteers will use the skiff to survey the area for derelict crab pots during low tide when these will be more visible. Georgia law prohibits the removal of derelict crab pots by anyone other than the owner or the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR). We were unable to obtain permission to remove any crab pots prior to the deadline for this funding application, so our plans are currently limited to collecting data on the number, location, and condition of the crab pots we find. This will change if we successfully enlist the assistance of the Georgia DNR.
The second part is a series of six land-based cleanups for small groups of up to 25 young people from the local school system and other youth oriented organizations. The students will spend a morning removing trash accessible from the shoreline and record the amount and types of debris found. Clean Coast volunteers will provide instruction and supervision. At the end of each event each student will receive a 40-page booklet which will not only provide accurate information about the natural history of the Georgia coast and the problem of marine debris, but also inspire readers to think about ways that they and their local community can do a better job of preventing pollution of the marine environment.
At all of the events data on the amount and types of debris collected will be transmitted via smartphone technology to Marine Debris Tracker. Aluminum cans and scrap metal will be separated from the rest of the materials and trucked by Clean Coast to a recycling transfer station on nearby Wilmington Island. The remainder will be placed into one of the Park Service dumpsters and eventually hauled to a landfill.
Project Contact: Karen Grainey (karengrainey@bellsouth.net)
Contact website: www.cleancoast.org