Osprey can mistake plastic fishing line for their natural nesting material, with possible deadly consequence for them and their young. See this article from Audubon. http://ow.ly/EnX350AyprU

Our final #ProtectOurWildlife sticker is the osprey. These majestic birds have as much as a six-feet wing span. They were almost extinct by the 1970s, but made a remarkable recovery after the pesticide DDT was banned. They can be seen in many Long Island Sound Stewardship Areas, including Milford Point. If you can’t get to the coast, check them out 24/7 on Connecticut Audubon Society’s OspreyCam! https://www.ctaudubon.org/osprey-nation-osprey-cam/

The pandemic is requiring that changes are being made for this year’s local International Coastal Cleanup. Get the latest updates at Save the Sound in CT at http://ow.ly/Sfpq50ANz98 and for NY please contact Lisa Scheppke at the American Littoral Society at NYSBC@littoralsociety.org. Learn more at the International Coastal Cleanup website at http://ow.ly/nIHV50ANz96

On Monday, we showed a graphic that seven out of the top 10 items found in last year’s International Coastal Cleanup in #LISound were made of plastic. The global situation is even more plastic centric. In 2018, all of the top 10 items collected from ICC cleanups around the world contained plastic (including cellulose acetate, a type of plastic, in cigarette butts). Please, #DontTrashLISound.

Breaking the Single-Use Plastic Habit should be simple, but the data tells a different story. Every September and October volunteers pickup trash at #LISound beaches as part of the International Coastal Cleanup. What did they find in 2019? A lot of plastic caps, bottles, straws stirrers, bags and, and plastic and foam packaging. #ProtectOur Wildlife #DontTrashLISound.

How do you rid Long Island Sound of as much marine debris as possible and make  #DontTrashLISound a reality?  The CT and NY Sea Grant Programs are about to find out. They have received a grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to develop a five year Marine Debris Action Plan.

Plastic debris can damage coral reefs by carrying pathogens that causes coral disease, according to recent research of coral reefs conducted in the Pacific Ocean. http://ow.ly/2Ckw50ADsjK

Corals and Sea Anemones in #LISound? Yes! These animals of the seafloor, which belong to the same phylum group, Cnidaria, or “stinging needles,” live in boulder reef habitat. The Northern Red Anemone catches food from plankton to small fish using its tentacles that are heavily armed with stinging cells (nematocysts) and then brings the food toward the mouth, according to the Memorial University Ocean Sciences website. Help protect these amazing creatures from plastic debris. Break the Single-Use Plastic habit. #DontTrashLISound.

Check out this video to learn eight simple ways to stop plastic pollution. Protect #LISound. #DontTrashLISound. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXCcshJcr8E

Squid might help us reduce our plastic habit! Researchers are looking into whether the protein used for the “ring teeth” that helps the squid hold food in place can be used to replace plastic materials, including the plastic microfibers in clothing. The protein can be reproduced in the lab so squid would not need to be harvested. https://phys.org/news/2019-02-squid-eco-friendly-alternative-plastics.html #ProtectOurWildlife #DontTrashLISound