Watermen Assist Hurricane Recovery with Marine Debris Removal in North Carolina Posted Thu, 12/12/2019 - 16:57

On a recent cool foggy morning near Surf City, North Carolina, Joe Huie stepped out of his skiff, trudged through the marsh, and up to a small hammock. Hoping he wouldn’t see what he knew would be there, he gazed out over the marsh dotted with small spider webs glistening with the morning fog and dew. Soon, Joe could pick out the telltale signs of the pieces of docks, polystyrene, and other hurricane debris that littered the beautiful marsh.

• Read more about Watermen Assist Hurricane Recovery with Marine Debris Removal in North Carolina
• Add new comment

Tags Southeast removal

Partners Tackle Marine Debris in their Southeast Stomping Grounds Posted Thu, 12/12/2019 - 14:24

The NOAA Marine Debris Program’s Southeast region, which spans Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina, includes gorgeous sandy beaches, expansive meandering marshlands, diverse wildlife, significant history, and lots of southern charm. While sweet tea, hospitality, downhome sayings, and “y’all” are signatures of the south, so too are issues with marine debris.

• Read more about Partners Tackle Marine Debris in their Southeast Stomping Grounds
• Add new comment

Tags Southeast

Special Funding Opportunity: Hurricane Response Marine Debris Removal Fund Posted Mon, 12/02/2019 - 10:46

The 2018 hurricane and typhoon seasons inflicted severe damage to communities and coastal resources across North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

• Read more about Special Funding Opportunity: Hurricane Response Marine Debris Removal Fund
• Add new comment

Tags Southeast Florida & the Caribbean

The Lowcountry Cleans Up Marine Debris after Hurricane Irma Posted Fri, 09/20/2019 - 15:16

The 2017 hurricane season was one of the most active with 17 named storms; 10 of those became major hurricanes. Three devastating hurricanes made landfall, one of which was Hurricane Irma.

• Read more about The Lowcountry Cleans Up Marine Debris after Hurricane Irma
• Add new comment

Tags Southeast

Southeast Marine Debris Action Plan Released Posted Tue, 06/25/2019 - 13:56

The 2019 Southeast Marine Debris Action Plan is a compilation of recommended objectives, strategies, and actions to address marine debris in Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. It is a collaborative effort between the federal, state, and local governments, non-governmental organizations, academia, and industry, and aims to coordinate and galvanize new action to address everyday marine debris and debris generated by disasters throughout the Southeast.

• Read more about Southeast Marine Debris Action Plan Released
• Add new comment

Tags report Southeast

After the Storm: Helping Georgia Recover through Marine Debris Removal Posted Thu, 05/30/2019 - 16:10

 

The 2017 hurricane season was one of the most active and impactful on record. Hurricane Irma was the strongest hurricane ever observed in the open Atlantic Ocean and caused widespread devastation in the Caribbean, Florida, and the Southeastern U.S., including Georgia. As a result, Hurricane Irma ranked in the top five costliest hurricanes in the U.S. at $50 billion.

• Read more about After the Storm: Helping Georgia Recover through Marine Debris Removal
• Add new comment

Tags Southeast

Turtle Trash Collectors: Where Classroom Simulations Lead to Action Against Marine Debris Shanelle.Naone Wed, 05/29/2019 - 22:06

When we decided to convert a stuffed toy sea turtle into a model for simulating a necropsy (or animal dissection), we never imagined how impactful the experience would be for kids. With funding from a NOAA Marine Debris Program Prevention Grant, the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) MarineQuest created Turtle Trash Collectors (2TC) to help children understand the marine debris issue and to provide ways for them to address the problem.

• Read more about Turtle Trash Collectors: Where Classroom Simulations Lead to Action Against Marine Debris
• Add new comment

Tags Southeast

Tackling Marine Debris in the Southeast Posted Mon, 05/27/2019 - 14:09

The NOAA Marine Debris Program’s Southeast region, which spans Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina, includes gorgeous sand beaches, expansive meandering marshlands, diverse wildlife, significant history, and lots of southern charm. While sweet tea, hospitality, downhome sayings, and “y’all” are signatures of the south, so too are the issues with marine debris. Y’all, the struggle is real and it’s a sight for sore eyes!

• Read more about Tackling Marine Debris in the Southeast
• Add new comment

Tags Southeast

NOAA Marine Debris Awards Funding to Clean up Marine Debris in 2017 Hurricane-Affected Areas Posted Fri, 11/16/2018 - 10:09

With financial support from NOAA’s Marine Debris Program, coastal states and territories impacted by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria received $17.2M in disaster relief funding to assess, removal, and dispose of hurricane related marine debris.

• Read more about NOAA Marine Debris Awards Funding to Clean up Marine Debris in 2017 Hurricane-Affected Areas
• Add new comment

Tags Florida & the Caribbean Southeast Gulf of Mexico emergency response

Hurricanes and Tornados and Severe Thunderstorms! Oh My! krista.e.stegemann Thu, 08/17/2017 - 11:00

By: Sarah Latshaw, Southeast Regional Coordinator for the NOAA Marine Debris Program

While we may not have flying monkeys and green-faced witches to contend with here in the Southeast, we do face possible hazards like hurricanes, tornados, and severe thunderstorms. With these threats, there also comes the potential for a different kind of trouble--large amounts of storm-generated marine debris. In fact, almost a year after hurricane Matthew, many states are still dealing with the remnant debris stirred up by those storms, much of it in the form of abandoned and derelict vessels.

• Read more about Hurricanes and Tornados and Severe Thunderstorms! Oh My!
• Add new comment

Tags Southeast

Addressing Marine Debris in the Southeast krista.e.stegemann Tue, 08/15/2017 - 11:00

Meet Sarah Latshaw, the Southeast Regional Coordinator for the NOAA Marine Debris Program, based in beautiful Charleston, SC. Reach out to Sarah at sarah.latshaw@noaa.gov!

The Southeast United States is a great place to enjoy some unique outdoor areas. The NOAA Marine Debris Program’s Southeast region spans the states of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, to which many people travel to experience the beautiful sand beaches and marshlands. Unfortunately, this area is also visited by marine debris. Thankfully, there are several efforts underway to keep our Southeast region clean and address the marine debris that plagues this area. Check out some of the projects that are working to remove and prevent debris in the Southeast.

• Read more about Addressing Marine Debris in the Southeast
• Add new comment

Tags Southeast

Georgia Marine Debris Emergency Response Guide: A New Comprehensive Guide for the State krista.e.stegemann Thu, 06/15/2017 - 11:00

The NOAA Marine Debris Program is proud to announce the release of the new Marine Debris Emergency Response document for Georgia! This guide takes existing roles and authorities, as they relate to response to an incident that generates large amounts of debris in coastal waterways, and presents them in one guidance document for easy reference. By collaborating with local, state, and federal entities active in the region, this guide aims to facilitate a more timely and effective response to waterway debris incidents in Georgia.

• Read more about Georgia Marine Debris Emergency Response Guide: A New Comprehensive Guide for the State
• Add new comment

Tags Southeast report response

South Carolina Incident Waterway Debris Response: A New Comprehensive Guide for the State krista.e.stegemann Mon, 11/28/2016 - 11:50

The NOAA Marine Debris Program (MDP) is proud to announce the release of the new Incident Waterway Debris Response document for South Carolina! This guide takes existing roles and authorities, as they relate to response to an incident that generates large amounts of debris in coastal waterways, and presents them in one guidance document for easy reference. By collaborating with local, state, and federal entities active in the region, this guide aims to facilitate a more timely and effective response to waterway debris incidents in South Carolina.

• Read more about South Carolina Incident Waterway Debris Response: A New Comprehensive Guide for the State
• Add new comment

Tags Southeast report response

North Carolina Incident Waterway Debris Response: A New Comprehensive Guide for the State krista.e.stegemann Fri, 09/09/2016 - 15:59

The NOAA Marine Debris Program (MDP) is proud to announce the release of the new Incident Waterway Debris Response document for North Carolina. This guide takes existing roles and authorities, as they relate to response to an incident that generates large amounts of debris in coastal waterways, and presents them in one guidance document for easy reference. By collaborating with local, state, and federal entities active in the region, this guide aims to facilitate a more timely and effective response to waterway debris incidents in North Carolina.

• Read more about North Carolina Incident Waterway Debris Response: A New Comprehensive Guide for the State
• Add new comment

Tags Southeast report response

Exciting Things Are Happening in the Southeast! krista.e.stegemann Tue, 04/26/2016 - 11:00

What do microplastics, nesting sea turtles, derelict crab trap floats, local fishermen, and whale guts have in common? They’re all part of some of the exciting projects going on in the Southeast region to fight marine debris! There’s lots going on in the NOAA Marine Debris Program’s (MDP) Southeast region right now, check out a quick glimpse at some of these projects supported by the MDP:

Starting down in Florida, Sea Grant is creating a network of citizen scientists to test water samples for microplastics and using that information to educate Floridians about plastic debris. 

• Read more about Exciting Things Are Happening in the Southeast!
• Add new comment

Tags Southeast

Cooperative Efforts Result in the Removal of Abandoned Vessels and Other Debris from the Historic Charleston Harbor krista.e.stegemann Fri, 11/13/2015 - 13:06

By: Sarah Latshaw, Southeast Regional Coordinator for the NOAA Marine Debris Program

Charleston Harbor just got a facelift, with 10 abandoned and derelict vessels (ADVs) removed from its waterways and shoreline earlier this month. After being abandoned by their owners, many of these boats had been stuck for years, slowly deteriorating in the marsh, because of a lack of funding for removal and salvage efforts. Some of these ADVs were environmental concerns, causing damage to the shoreline and grasses or becoming dumping sites for other boaters’ trash; others posed a threat to navigation, and most were eyesores for this charming, historic city.

• Read more about Cooperative Efforts Result in the Removal of Abandoned Vessels and Other Debris from the Historic Charleston Harbor
• Add new comment

Tags Southeast removal ADVs