On the following pages, project descriptions highlight successful projects carried out in 1996, and the Council's workplan for addressingthe marine debris issue in 1997. NB Fundy Guild is a non-profit cooperating association working to promote Fundy National Park and environs in an environmentally friendly manner. It organizes and carries out regular beach cleanups in the area, tabulates results of the cleanups, monitors the breeding success of the piping plover, and participates in environmental education programs for children. The Guild used its GOMC grant to help cover the costs of beach cleanups at Cape Enrage, Munsons Pond, Waterside, Denis Beach, Alma and Point Wolfe. Our Shores is a non-profit environmental organization that has worked to preserve and improve the coastal environment in Saint John for the past several years.
Projects focus on reducing marine debris through education and beach cleanups.
The Council's projects have included producing signs and placing them throughout the Piscataqua River Region, and distributing trash bags with a marine debris message on them to marinas and boat launches. Currently, it is focusing on the problem of bulk debris, which consists of large trash items such as wood, nets, old traps, and tires. With the help of the GOMC grant, the Council has identified and documented bulk debris problems in the Piscataqua River watershed and researched potential solutions for the disposal or recycling of the bulk items. A bulk debris cleanup event will be carried out at North Mills Pond, Portsmouth, on June 7th. The MRWC is a citizens' charitable organization whose mission is to protect and restore the Merrimack Watershed for the enjoyment of the public, the benefit of the area's communities, and the health of the ecosystem.