NEWSROOM
Marine
Debris Project Needs Volunteers
June 2, 2006
Volunteers
are needed in Calcasieu and Cameron parishes for the Marine Debris
Marking and Mapping Project on Calcasieu Lake, Moss Lake and West
Cove from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. Saturday, June 24.
Hurricane
Rita scattered residential, industrial and vegetative debris throughout
the estuary system, creating a hazard for recreational and commercial
boaters, as well as their vessels and gear. In an attempt to make
the lake safer, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) Office of Coast Survey, Louisiana Sea Grant College Program
(Louisiana Sea Grant), Coastal Conservation Association (CCA),
Lake Charles Power Squadron, LSU AgCenter, Louisiana Department
of Wildlife and Fisheries and the Lake Charles Pilots have teamed
up to locate and mark as much of this marine debris as possible.
Volunteers
will be provided with maps and markers and will travel in their
own boats to assigned areas of the lake to make visual surveys.
They will mark floating debris with buoys, and submerged debris
will be marked with PVC pipe. Volunteers will remove any small
debris they can safely bring to shore and will be asked to write
down the location of any remaining large debris they encounter.
This information will be used for mapping and for future cleanup
efforts.
Marked positions
will be posted on the Coast Pilot Disaster Impact Web site, http://nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/nsd/cpgulf/cpgulf.htm,
and on the Louisiana Sea Grant Web site, www.laseagrant.org/debris.
Additionally, lake users are asked to visit the Louisiana Sea
Grant site to report the location of any dangerous marine debris
they have encountered.
Registered
volunteers will be treated to lunch and drinks. Volunteers are
asked to meet at 8 a.m. at Calcasieu Point Landing, 3955 Henry
Pugh Blvd., Lake Charles, to register and pick up supplies.
This effort
is made possible with involvement of NOAA's Office of Coast Survey
with the funding and support of NOAA's Marine Debris Program,
which is part of the NOAA Office of Response and Restoration (National
Ocean Service). The NOAA Marine Debris Program works with other
NOAA offices and partners to support national, state, local and
international efforts to protect and conserve our nation’s
natural resources and coastal waterways from the impacts of marine
debris.
For more information,
contact Tim Osborn, Tim.Osborn@noaa.gov,
(337) 291-2111; Kevin Savoie, KSavoie@agcenter.lsu.edu,
(337) 475-8812; or Justin Farrell, jfarrell@lsu.edu;
or visit www.laseagrant.org/debris.
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