FEBRUARY 5, 2016--On January 28, Nancy Wallace, Marine Debris Program Director, traveled to San Diego to join California Regional Coordinator Sherry Lippiatt on a tour of the Tijuana River Estuarine Research Reserve (TRNERR), the site of a Marine Debris Program funded community-based removal project.

A massive amount of trash and larger debris washes into the reserve from Mexico, adding to impacts from sedimentation and sewage pollution in the Tijuana River Valley. With support from the Marine Debris Program, the Southwest Wetlands Interpretive Association, TRNERR, California State Parks, and NGO partners are working together to remove debris from this area as well as prevent future accumulation.

Marine Debris Program staff toured the Tijuana River Valley, including visits to debris accumulation regions, trash collection booms, and the sorting pad where trash and debris is sorted from excavated sediment before being hauled off for use in construction projects. As part of their Marine Debris Program grant, TRNERR staff and partners on both sides of the border are working with communities in Tijuana, sharing marine debris curriculum in local schools, and developing partnerships with city officials to improve waste management.

For more information, contact Sherry.Lippiatt@noaa.gov.

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