Life lately has been pretty phenomenal, and I have so many things to be grateful for. I guess if I was religious I would be thanking God...since that isn't the case, I guess the thanks can go to myself and you know what, I deserve them. Ever since high school, I have been working my butt off to envelop myself in the subject of marine debris. And though I can't recall what started this obsession, I have worked very hard to get where I am today and to become sort of a name in the marine debris community.
Currently I am a part of three different non-profit organizations, of which all are dedicated to the cause of marine debris. The first, and the one I have been involved with the longest, is Solve (formerly SOLV). Solve is...
"...a non-profit organization that brings together individuals, business groups, and service and conservation groups through volunteering and education to restore our natural spaces and take good care of this great state of which we are all so proud. SOLVE facilitates Oregonians of all kinds coming together to volunteer, focusing on beach and illegal dump cleanup, planting native trees, removing invasive plants, and other environmental maintenance projects. SOLVE annually creates an average of 50,000 volunteer opportunities in 185 communities all across this diverse state, and has provided around $60,000,000 in service to Oregon since 1997."
To me, Solve is the organization I have been volunteering with since I was in high school. They organize the largest and only major beach cleanup in Oregon and I am proud to have once been a volunteer, a beach captain and now a zone captain. That is my first accomplishment, taking on more responsibility with one of the great Oregonian non-profits and I'm so excited for the fall beach clean up!
The second non-profit is COASST, and I am one of their marine debris interns. COASST is...
"...a citizen science project of the University of Washington in partnership with state, tribal and federal agencies, environmental organizations, and community groups. COASST believes citizens of coastal communities are essential scientific partners in monitoring marine ecosystem health. By collaborating with citizens, natural resource management agencies and environmental organizations, COASST works to translate long-term monitoring into effective marine conservation solutions. "
To me, COASST is a cutting edge non-profit, ahead of the game and trying to make valuable Basically I am helping them develop standardized procedures to collect marine debris on beaches nationwide, maybe even globally! My main task is to give feedback on the small debris portion, as I am interested mainly in microplastic.
My most recent accomplishment, and biggest by far, is my new position with the Surfrider Foundation, Newport Chapter. I am the new Beach and Highway Cleanup Coordinator and let me tell you, I am so flipping excited. I've already gone to one event, the Otter Rock 'n' Roll which was a youth surfing competition and beach cleanup. Although I didn't lead that one, I have an upcoming post-fouth-of-July beach cleanup on July 5th in Newport partnering with the Cetacean Society! I can't wait and I will be plugging this event like crazy on Facebook to try and drag my friends out to the beach for a good cause!!
Lastly, and certainly not least, I am continuing to work on my thesis. It has changed quite a few times to many different and unforeseen circumstances but I am certain that I have found "the one". I will be working with Dr. White, an associate professor at OSU to develop standardized procedure for collecting microplastic in order to establish a baseline of information from which we can measure change. We will also be building kits which we can give to anyone who is interested in gathering data. This procedure will be easy and relatively hassle free and should give us an idea of how much microplastic debris actually inhabits our beaches. Of course the procedure will be developed here, in Oregon, but should be able to be applied to any beach, oceanic or not.
All in all, it is an exciting time. I'm truly living the dream and doing what makes me happy and I feel like all of this school is finally starting to pay off.
If you're interested in visiting any of the above non-profit websites click the names below!
SOLVE
COASST
Surfrider, Newport Chapter
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