Debris Brigade Blog: Field Notes From Sea and Shore
The Marine Debris and Plastics Program works on land and at sea to locate, remove, and document plastic pollution during all four seasons, working with commercial and recreational fishermen and hundreds of community volunteers to improve the health of our marine environment. Follow along with team members as they describe their participation in ghost gear projects, shoreline cleanups, debris inventory and mapping, tackling the issue of marine plastic.
My Year with the Marine Debris Program
By Kathryn Brooks I came to CCS in January to be the new “Marine Debris & Plastics Research and Outreach Assistant” for Laura and her program. My position was funded by multiple grants and would end in December. Well, somehow the year has flown by and it is now...
A Love of Eating Breakfast Out Inspires “Early Bird” Beach Clean Ups
By Kathryn Brooks CCS Marine Debris Program Assistant Perseverance and determination. If at first you don’t succeed, take a look at what you did, get feedback from others, and make adjustments. My first week of the “Early Bird” cleanups was unsuccessful. I was at...
Spring Projects Remove Tons of Marine Debris From Cape Cod Shoreline
The Center for Coastal Studies and its dedicated volunteer Beach Brigade have been hard at work over the past month removing marine debris from Cape Cod shorelines and tabulating data related to it. During an April 22 Earth Day cleanup at Wood End in Provincetown, 35...
Adventures with Egg Mud and Scaling The Harbor Breakwater: Fiona Skeggs on the 2022 Ghost Gear Recovery Program
Photo caption: Fiona aboard the F/V Miss Lilly on the first day of the CCS 2022 Ghost Gear Recovery Project out of Provincetown, MA. (Annie Lewandowski) May 11, 2022. Fiona Skeggs is a graduate student in the health, science and environmental journalism program...
Center for Coastal Studies and Cape Cod National Seashore Announce Marine Debris Opportunity for Artists
PROVINCETOWN, Mass— The Center for Coastal Studies (CCS) and the National Park Service/Cape Cod National Seashore (NPS) invite artist proposals for an outdoor art exhibition to feature marine debris and be installed in the National Seashore. Funding for this...
Lobster Trap Tag Logging
Natalie MacDonald, 2021 Joanna Toole Intern When I originally started contemplating what I would consider as "ghost gear" at the beginning of this internship, I thought of lobster traps, netting, and rope -- large gear that’s easy to spot and what I thought was most...
Outer Cape Cleanup and Styrofoam City
Natalie MacDonald, 2021 Joanna Toole Intern At the end of September, I completed my first Outer Cape Cleanup (OCC) with the Beach Brigade - one of the many activities I've participated in as the Joanna Toole “Ghost Gear” intern. Started by local shellfisherman Anthony...
Ping Pong Table, Legacy Gear Cleared from Provincetown’s West End
August 30, 2021 On what may have been the hottest summer day yet, volunteers with the Center for Coastal Studies Beach Brigade headed out over the west end breakwater in Provincetown to conduct a shoreline cleanup on Wednesday, August 25th. A dozen volunteers hiked...
Introducing Caitlin Townsend, 2021 Potter Marine Debris Intern
Hello Debris Brigade! My name is Caitlin Townsend. I am a graduate of Massachusetts Maritime Academy with a degree in Marine Science, Safety and Environmental Protection. My love for the environment in general started at a very young age. I grew up in Truro, my father...