This will be the first volunteer effort to remove trash from a large number of islands in Nueces Bay and the more northern part of the Laguna Madre, adjacent to Corpus Christi. Participation by approximately 35 volunteers is anticipated. In addition to trash removal, participants will focus on removing items such as discarded fishing line or plastic six-pack rings, which can cause injury or death to birds and other animals.
Twenty species of colonially-nesting birds, including herons, egrets, spoonbills, terns, skimmers and gulls, use islands in these bays from late winter through the summer months to nest and raise their young. Eliminating trash during the non-nesting season will promote safer conditions for young and adult birds when nesting activity resumes in the late winter.
This joint effort will enhance these important islands and the bird habitat they supply and provide the blueprint for future years endeavors.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting, and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 93-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System comprised of more than 500 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands, and other special management areas. It also operates 66 national fish hatcheries, 64 fish and wildlife management assistance offices and 78 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state wildlife agencies.
