Tag: Marine debris

Keeping Cedar Key Clean: Join the 41st Annual International Coastal Cleanup

by Emily Colson
July 21, 2026

Cedar Key community members and visitors are invited to help protect our coast during the 41st Annual International Coastal Cleanup on Saturday, September 19, 2026, from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Cedar Key City Park. Check-in begins at 7:30 a.m. Organized ... READ MORE

Category: Coasts & Marine, Community Volunteers, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS Extension, Water
Tags: Cedar Key, Cleanup, Community, Marine Debris, NCBS Volunteers, Pollution

Operation TRAP’s Interactive Data Dashboard is live!

by Monica Wilson
July 2, 2026

Operation TRAP’s (Trash Reduction for Aquatic Preserves) mission is to partner with local government and state Aquatic Preserve systems to intercept litter at the source and reduce the amount of marine debris entering Florida’s coastal waterways. ... READ MORE

Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS Extension, Water
Tags: Aquatic Preserves, Interceptor Devices, Marine Debris

Beyond Cleanup: How Operation TRAP Changed the Way I See My Community

by Monica Wilson
November 18, 2025

Thoughts from Operation TRAP’s UF Fall 2025 Undergraduate Gulf Scholar: Cameron Sargent When I joined Operation TRAP (Trash Reduction for Aquatic Preserves) this fall, I expected to learn about environmental conservation. What I didn’t ... READ MORE

Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS Extension, Water
Tags: Aquatic Preserves, Litter Interceptor Devices, Marine Debris

Community Comes Together for the 2025 International Coastal Cleanup in Cedar Key

by Emily Colson
September 30, 2025

Written by Emily Colson, Communications Specialist at UF/IFAS Nature Coast Biological Station Thank you to all the volunteers who came out by land and sea to make the 40th Annual International Coastal Cleanup in Cedar Key a success! On ... READ MORE

Category: Community Volunteers, Events,
Tags: Cedar Key, Cleanup, Coastal Cleanup, Marine Debris

The Small Things Add Up: A Reflection on my Time as Operation TRAP’s UF Gulf Scholar

by Monica Wilson
August 11, 2025

Written by Mallory Willem, Operation TRAP's Summer 2025 UF Undergraduate Gulf Scholar Thoughts from Operation TRAP's UF Undergraduate Gulf Scholar: Mallory Willem This experience was all about taking part in the small tasks that contribute ... READ MORE

Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS Extension, Water
Tags: Aquatic Preserves, Litter Interceptor Devices, Marine Debris

In the Details: Reflections on Cleaning Storm Drains and the Quiet Impact of Public Service

by Monica Wilson
April 22, 2025

Written by Mary Schneider, Operation TRAP's Spring 2025 UF Undergraduate Gulf Scholar Thoughts from Operation TRAP's UF Undergraduate Gulf Scholar: Mary Schneider During my internship, my primary role was cleaning out storm drain traps—an ... READ MORE

Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS Extension, Water
Tags: Aquatic Preserves, Litter Interceptor Devices, Marine Debris

A year of trash – Operation TRAP turns 1!

by Monica Wilson
September 19, 2024

Operation TRAP (Trash Reduction for Aquatic Preserves) has just completed its first year of the project. Within the last year, we have installed 3 Watergoats, 8 storm drain traps, and 6 monofilament tubes in Pasco County and 9 storm drain traps ... READ MORE

Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS Extension, Water
Tags: Aquatic Preserve, Litter Interceptor Devices, Marine Debris, Operation TRAP

Cigarette Butts – Biodegradable or not?

by Monica Wilson
June 4, 2024

One of the most common items found during litter cleanups are cigarette butts. They were the number one debris item picked up over the past 25 years during the Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup. In 2022 alone, the Ocean Conservancy ... READ MORE

Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources, Water
Tags: Aquatic Preserves, Cigarette Butts, Florida Sea Grant, Litter Interceptor Devices, Marine Debris

Weekly “What is it?”: In-Stream Trash Collection

by Carrie Stevenson
May 9, 2024

If you’ve ever peeked over the railings of a bridge spanning an urban stream, walked along the beach, or even paddled in some of our more rural rivers, you know we have a trash problem in our waterways. Northwest Florida is crisscrossed ... READ MORE

Category: Natural Resources
Tags: Environmental Education, Habitat Conservation, Marine Debris, Water Quality, Weekly What Is It

Earth Day 2024: Planet vs. Plastics

by Carolyn Kovacs
April 15, 2024

Earth Day 2024 is coming up on April 22, and this year’s theme is “Planet vs Plastics.” Plastic Facts – Did you know? The synthetic plastic was Bakelite made in 1906 by Leo Baekland in Belgium. Plastics are made from naptha, ... READ MORE

Category: Coasts & Marine, Conservation, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS Extension, Water
Tags: Beach, Earth Day, Florida Sea Grant, Marine Debris, Plastic Pollution, Plastics, Sustainability

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