|
September 28, 2009
FORESTWATCH VOLUNTEERS CLEAN UP
MICROTRASH NEAR SESPE CREEK TO PROTECT ENDANGERED CONDORS
70 Pounds of Glass,
Bullets, and Other Small Trash is Removed From
Area Near Where Two Condors Died This Summer
Ventura County - Last Saturday,
eleven ForestWatch volunteers traveled into the Sespe Creek
watershed to clean up small bits of trash that threaten the
health of endangered California condors. The site was a high
priority for us to clean up after two condors died nearby
recently. One, Condor 358,
entangled itself on an abandoned rope in July. The other,
Condor 539, was retrieved from its nest earlier this month and
microtrash is suspected as the cause of death. Further north,
Condor 503 was found this summer in the Big Sur area after
fatally ingesting large amounts of microtrash.
ForestWatch microtrash volunteers:
Chuck, Joyce, Dave, Jeri, John, Tom, Rebekah, Ward, Mary, Sonia,
and Jeff.
With the backdrop of the Sespe
Condor Sanctuary, we spent four hours cleaning up small bits of
glass, bullet shells, bottle caps, and nails that had been left
behind by careless visitors. By the end of the day, we had
removed more than 70 pounds of microtrash, plus larger pieces of
old furniture left behind by careless visitors. Later in the
morning, a bicyclist and a wayward hiker joined us.
ForestWatch volunteers cleaned
up this same site last year and removed 85 pounds of microtrash.
Microtrash is one
of the leading threats to the recovery of the California condor. Microtrash is a
term used to describe small bits of debris like bottle caps,
rags, screws, bolts, wires, glass, and other materials found in
condor habitat. Condors, curious by nature, are attracted to
microtrash, and often ingest it or bring it back to their nests,
where condor chicks swallow the small pieces. Microtrash is not
digestible and is fatal unless it's surgically removed.
Thanks to our volunteers, this
site is once again trash-free and a more pleasant place to visit. After this
successful project, our volunteers have removed more than 1,100
pounds of microtrash from five different sites around
the Los Padres National Forest.
How You Can Help
During the next few months, we'll
be organizing cleanups at five additional sites around the Los
Padres in Ventura County. If you'd like to
help protect the condor and be notified of future microtrash
cleanups in your area,
email us! Include your name, address, and phone number so we
can keep you updated on future opportunities.
Stomach contents of a
California condor. Photo courtesy USFWS. |
