Our Efforts

Did you know that the Great Lakes are the biggest freshwater source in the world? Lake Erie is the most productive for fishing of all the Great Lakes. Your support helps make our streams clean, clear and healthy so they can support this complex ecosystem. By donating to PCS, you help us reach our goals of restoring rivers that lead to Lake Erie beaches that promote fishable and swimmable conditions for generations.

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Our Efforts

Our annual programs like Clean Your Streams and Get the Lead Out are all working towards trash-free or marine debris-free waterways. Join our fight against marine debris and become a Partner for clean streams today, whether that means you volunteer, sponsor a program, or make a donation. All are ways you can support our efforts to make our streams, rivers, and lakes clean, clear, and safe. 

PCS2debrisfromisland 2 1Our Executive Director, Kris Patterson, authored a blog article describing the work we have completed with support from NOAA's Marine Debris Program. Grant funding from this program has allowed us to expand our Clean Your Streams programing, and the additional work is paying off.

2022 Clean Your Streams 26 Marine Debris Profile

During Clean Your Streams Day and Clean Your Streams 365, volunteers remove litter that would have otherwise polluted the waterways. Every group fills out a data card that tallies exactly what they were finding, where they were finding it, and how many they are finding. Using this data, Partners for Clean Streams is able to submit these findings into the International Coastal Conservancy Database which records global information on marine debris clean-ups. We also share this data and share with local municipalities to aid with their stormwater plans. 

The list of top ten items found across our clean-up sites demonstrates that a significant amount of trash comes from single-use products. This includes items such as food wrappers, cigarette butts, plastic bottles, plastic bags, disposable cups and plates, and aluminum beverage cans. Individuals can have an enormous impact on reducing the amount of these types of waste by making conscious efforts to avoid using products that contain these materials. Some of the easiest ways to reduce your footprint are to use reusable water bottles instead of plastic one-time-use bottles and by utilizing reusable grocery bags instead of disposable plastic grocery bags. Another great way to reduce food packaging is to bring your own containers to your grocery store and buy food from the bulk section. Volunteers find many other unique items that tell a different story about marine debris. Unusual and strange items are found like Powerwheels Jeep, mattresses, street signs, toy kitchens, and many tires. It is important to find the appropriate methods to dispose of such unusual items. Many municipalities and cities hold special trash days where people can dispose of large amounts of trash or larger items. Lucas County provides a number of opportunities for trash disposal, with more information on their website. One of our area partners, Keep Toledo/Lucas County Beautiful, also has numerous resources available for proper trash disposal.  

 

Partners for Clean Streams Inc. is striving for abundant open space and a high quality natural environment; adequate floodwater storage capacities and flourishing wildlife; stakeholders who take local ownership in their resources; and rivers, streams and lakes that are clean, clear and safe