Calling all who care

Sandy Long
Posted 11/16/16

As River Talk readers may know, one of my pet peeves is the problem of discarded fishing line along water bodies in the Upper Delaware River region. Increasingly, I find gnarly tangles of …

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Calling all who care

Posted

As River Talk readers may know, one of my pet peeves is the problem of discarded fishing line along water bodies in the Upper Delaware River region. Increasingly, I find gnarly tangles of monofilament along regional shorelines, necessitating removal of this potentially harmful stuff, which can be life-threatening to a bird, fish, or amphibian that becomes ensnared.


In hopes of helping to mitigate this growing problem, white pipe-like contraptions are starting to appear in places like Promised Land State Park and Lake Wallenpaupack in Northeast Pennsylvania.


With funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric (NOAA) Marine Debris program and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the Boat U.S. Foundation has helped to establish a network of more than 2,000 monofilament recycling bins across America to make proper disposal more accessible. The “Reel in and Recycle” program includes an online data reporting tool, where participants can record the amount of line that is collected and returned for recycling. 


What a great project this would be for local Scout troops interested in making a positive difference for regional wildlife. If your favorite fishing spot is on public lands, check with the appropriate agencies, such as the PA Fish and Boat Commission or PA Game Commission or New York Department of Environmental Conservation to learn how best to proceed.


If you decide to build and maintain a bin, please let me know by sending an email to Sandy@HeronsEye.com. I’ll share your news in a future River Talk column to inspire others.

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