A| I fcjl United States	EPA-842-N-17-003
Environmental Protection	August 2017
M \ Agency
THE FLOW OF... TRASH FREE WATERS
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
How's it Flowing?	1
Highlighting Success	1
Grassroots Conservation
Group Works to Protect
the Anacostia	2
CSO-Free Rivers	2
Flotsam and Jetsam Launched
to Clean Up D.C. Rivers	3
Regional Ocean Planning	4
Partnering with the Urban
Waters and National Estuary
Programs to Address Trash
Prevention and Reduction	4
Trash Free Trinity	6
The Rapids: News Drops	6
How's it Flowing?
Greetings to all readers of
The Flow! I'm Surabhi Shah,
Chief of the Partnership
Programs Branch in EPA's
Office of Wetlands, Oceans
and Watersheds (OWOW).
I'm pleased to introduce the
7th edition of our Trash Free
Waters newsletter. Since the
last edition, there have been
important organizational
changes in OWOW. Ordinarily,
such changes do not rate a
newsletter announcement.
However, the recent
reorganization has grouped
Trash Free Waters with two
other major place-based water
programs: Urban Waters and
the National Estuary Program.
Keeping trash out of the water
is a priority in communities
of all sizes and in our major
national estuaries - as well as
the watersheds and coastal
regions that feed into them.
The combination of these
three programs under a
'partnerships' theme opens
doors for collaboration across
the programs themselves but
also among the huge number
of stakeholders in the places
where we work. In this way,
we hope to make Trash Free
Waters activities more effective
and impactful. Already, we have
started planning to connect
complementary projects and
address cross-cutting issues,
both in specific locations and at
the national level.
I'm mindful that the roots of
the Trash Free Waters program
lie in earlier work to reduce
trash in coastal areas and the
ocean. That remains a vitally
important goal, and we will
continue to work in partnership
with those programs in other
parts of OWOW, and also EPA's
international office and outside
organizations that address trash
prevention globally. But I'm
very excited that the creation
of OWOW's partnerships group
will open doors for collaboration
to achieve Trash Free Waters
goals in every region of the U.S.
As always, we welcome and
appreciate your engagement
with us in this important work.
Don't hesitate to reach out to
the TFW team or anyone else
who works with OWOW's place-
based partnership programs to
share your ideas and discuss
how EPA's water partnerships
can help you achieve your trash
free waters goals!
—Surhabi
Highlighting Success
The TFW program promotes
actions and projects that are
results-driven, measurable,
and achievable. A common
problem when implementing
and executing a TFW project is
developing data that support
a measurable result. In a given
action or project, examples of
data that can be quantified are:
Reduction in the number of
plastic bottles/bags used per
unit of time; Amount of money
saved; Labor hours saved; Mass
or volume of trash prevented
from going into a landfill or
water body; Number of storm
drain overflows; Number of
littering citations; Volume or
percent of trash recycled or
otherwise diverted; Number of
participants; and/or Mass or
This newsletter is intended to
provide the latest information
to all of our Trash Free Waters
(TFW) partners and friends.
We continue to move the needle
on reductions of aquatic trash
in the regions in which there is
work underway. With projects
wrapping up, new efforts come
online. We are even developing
Second Gen" TFW projects in
key areas vshere the energy
levels are high.
The Flow is our opportunity
to highlight recent successes,
as well as shine a spotlight on
news and other related items.
Approximately 80% of aquatic trash comes from land-based sources.
volume of trash collected. As
you continue to implement and
execute TFW-related actions
and projects, we encourage you
to quantify your data and have
a baseline to compare the data
to. Actions and projects that
are results-driven, measurable,
and achievable can then be
featured in the TFW National
Great Practices Compendium.
There are many great practices
out there, and we would love to
highlight them!
Contact: Bob Benson
TFW Program Lead
202-566-2954
Benson. Robert(S>epa. gov

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2 - AUGUST 2017
THE FLOW OF.,, TRASH FREE WATERS
Grassroots Conservation Group Works to Protect the Anacostia
The Anacostia River, the lesser
known river of Washington
D.C., is symbolic of District
living and all the area has to
offer. The Anacostia used to
be quite thriving and healthy
and was historically fringed
with emergent, diverse
wetlands, and habitats that
made homes for animals from
birds to bears. Shad and other
fish species thrived there.
First mapped by Captain
John Smith in 1612, the
Anacostia River unfortunately
became highly degraded in
the Twentieth Century due
to erosion, wetland loss,
and polluted runoff and
sewage as nearby industrial
practices intensified and
population growth increased.
Fast forward to 1990 and the
D.C. waterfront area of the
Anacostia River was a dump-
site for industrial machinery.
There was no waterfront
access, 90% of the wetland
cover was gone, and the
river banks were lined with
abandoned buildings. That's
where Earth Conservation
Corps (ECC) stepped in.
A grassroots conservation
organization, ECC has
dedicated itself to engaging
youth and locals on issues
of conservation, specifically
regarding the Anacostia
River. They are focused on
making the water cleaner
through group clean-ups,
properly managed trash
traps, wetland restoration,
water quality testing, and
community engagement
and awareness. Their 2017
project is working to create
new space and includes the
installation of brand new
trash traps. Because run off
transports litter to the river
and collects where the river
and restored wetlands meet,
trash traps were installed in
the area near the Washington
Nationals Park. This was done
through a joint effort with
D.C.'s Department of Energy
and Environment (DOEE) to
meet the District's TMDL for
the Anacostia River. ECC helps
weigh and sort the trash in
the traps and sends their
data to DOEE. A graduate of
Woodrow Wilson High School
named Shawn was recruited
for the ECC Youth Program.
He worked on water quality
testing and the installation of
the trash traps and recalls the
trash traps were his favorite
part. He analogized, "The
wetland is like my room and
if you see trash in your room,
you don't want it there, so
you clean it up. That's like the
trash trap."
—Ashleigh Armentrout
ORISE Fellow
Armentrout. Ashleiah&eoa. gov
CSO-Free Rivers
In early May, Grand Rapids, Michigan hosted the annual River
Rally, where EPA ORISE fellow Emma Maschal was able to speak
with stakeholders to discuss the best ways to address the issue of
aquatic trash. The consensus found at this forum was that there
are many different approaches to dealing with trash and each
is based on differing community needs. But the most important
part of the conversations focused on the compound benefits that
communities receive from initiatives to reduce trash pollution.
Projects aimed at preventing aquatic trash heip communities
see a visible change, while they reap the benefits in other areas
of community effort, such as green (or blue) space restoration.
Here's the thing about trash pollution - all of our infrastructure
systems are linked. Transportation systems and stormwater
systems, like impervious surfaces and roads and drain outfalls,
are conduits for litter to get into nearby waterways. This means
that management of solid waste should complement other
infrastructure systems in order to prevent trash pollution in our
waterways.
For example, the City of Grand Rapids no longer has any
combined sewer overflows (CSOs). They reached their goal of
eliminating CSOs in 2015 almost four years ahead of their target
date. In the works for over 30 years, this initiative addresses
a number of water quality standards through the use of
stormwater management. Trash reduction may not have been
the primary goal of the project shutting down the CSOs, but the
closure of 59 sewer overflow and discharge sites into the Grand
River has led to a reduction in trash entering waterways through
the sewer system, a prime example of how infrastructure and
aquatic trash are directly linked.
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THE FLOW OF... TRASH FREE WATERS
AUGUST 2017-3
Combined sewer systems are sewers that are designed to collect
rainwater runoff, domestic sewage, and industrial wastewater
in the same pipe. Most of the time, combined sewer systems
transport all of their wastewater to a sewage treatment plant,
where it is treated and then discharged to a water body.
During periods of heavy rainfall or snowmelt, however, the
wastewater volume in a combined sewer system can exceed
the capacity of the sewer system or treatment plant. For this
reason, combined sewer systems are designed to overflow
occasionally and discharge excess wastewater directly to nearby
streams, rivers, or other water bodies. These overflows, called
combined sewer overflows (CSOs), contain not only storm water
but also untreated human and industrial waste, toxic materials,
and debris. They are a major water pollution concern for the
approximately 772 cities in the U.S. that have combined sewer
systems. The work done to close the CSOs in Grand Rapids,
Michigan was funded through the Clean Water State Revolving
Fund - a partnership between EPA and the states. It is not the
end of litter in the river, but it's a step in the right direction for
preventing aquatic trash and other pollutants from reaching the
Great Lakes.
—Emma Maschal
ORISE Fellow
Maschal. Emma^eoa. gov
Flotsam and Jetsam Launched to Clean Up D.C. Rivers
Two new skimmer boats—christened
Flotsam and Jetsam as the result of a
social media naming contest—were
launched in May 2017 to aid in the
cleanup of trash in Washington, DC's
Anacostia River. The new boats replaced
older models that had been in service for
more than a decade, and are bigger and
faster. The boats are owned by DC Water,
the city's water and sewer authority.
Each vessel is 50 feet long, 13 feet
wide and cost the City approximately
$484,000. Each is equipped with a
metal conveyor belt that glides along
the water's surface, capturing floating
trash. The skimmers are but one weapon
in D.C.'s trash reduction arsenal, which
includes a 5-cent plastic bag tax, a ban
on foam food containers, trash traps that
capture trash before it reaches the river,
and cameras to monitor "hot spots"
where dumping occurs. In 2018, DC
Water will also implement the first stage
of an underground tunnel system to
reduce sewer overflows to the Anacostia.
More information is available at
www.dcwater.com.
—Alice Mayio, EPA
Mavio.AliceCd>eoa. gov

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4 - AUGUST 2017
THE FLOW OF.,, TRASH FREE WATERS
Regional Ocean Planning
Made up of State, Federal,
and Tribal representatives,
the Mid-Atlantic Regional
Planning Body (RPB) was
organized to create an
Ocean Action Plan for the
Mid-Atlantic Region (Mid-
A-OAP). Certified by the
National Ocean Council, the
Mid-A-OAP was published
December 7, 2016, The RPB
holds semi-annual public
meetings to share status
reports on the work outlined
within the Mid-A-OAP,
Opening the floor for a 30-day
public comment period, the
RPB's June 20, 2017 meeting
provided stakeholders with
an opportunity to weigh-in
on the draft work plan, so
that the RPB will have time to
address and adapt to public
query before the next public
meeting in December.
The RPB's public meetings
are meant to provide
transparency into the ocean
Partnering with the Urban Waters and National Estuary Programs to Address
Trash Prevention and Reduction
The TFW program is pleased to announce that we are specifically making a concerted effort to integrate more effectively with other
water programs, such as EPA's Urban Waters and National Estuary Programs. All three of these programs were recently placed into
the same branch within EPA headquarters' Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds, and have recently made $135,000 available
for regional trash prevention/reduction projects coordinated with or implemented through Urban Waters Federal Partnership
locations, Urban Waters Small Grant recipients, and/or National Estuary Programs. The following six projects were funded:
1.	Mystic River Watershed Trash Prevention (Massachusetts)
The Mystic River watershed is an Urban Waters Federal Partnership area that also falls within the Mass Bays National Estuary
Program study area. The Mystic River Watershed Association is implementing its Mystic River Trash Prevention Project to reduce
litter inputs to the waterways of the watershed to create cleaner, ecologically healthier, and more attractive waterways and parks.
The project will use a combination of research, education and planning to yield long-term and sustainable reductions in the
quantity of trash within the waterways.
2.	Lower Passaic/Harlem River Watersheds Litter Survey and Trash Reduction Plan {New York/New Jersey)
The Hudson River Foundation/New York-New Jersey Harbor & Estuary Program (HEP) and Montclair State University's Passaic River
Institute developed a trash survey protocol that will be implemented this summer. The protocol involves conducting street litter
surveys to track trash to specific points of sale, identifying brand items, and recording visual observations of conditions that could
influence transport of trash to storm drains. This protocol will be implemented at 35 sites in New Jersey's Lower Passaic watershed.
HEP is engaging two community groups to conduct surveys at a number of these sites. The same protocol will be implemented at
a similar number of sites in the Harlem River watershed with the participation of local community groups. The field data analysis
and results will be described in a final report, which will include recommendations for how to best eliminate or reduce local and/or
regional sources of floatable debris.
planning process. A number
of working groups within
the RPB presented their
progress reports. Represented
by Buddy LoBue, of EPA's
Region 2, the Marine Debris
Work Group presented
on the research gathered
for the development of
"a regionally appropriate
strategy for marine debris
reduction." As outlined by
the Mid-A-OAP, the RPB will
support and "build on the
efforts of EPA's Trash Free
Waters Program, NOAA's
Marine Debris Program, and
other existing programs and
partnerships in the region."
Raised to the floor for a vote,
the Tribal, State, and Federal
agencies reached unanimous
consensus that balloon
litter will be the focus of
the first "key issue" strategy
implemented by the Marine
Debris Working Group within
the RPB.
OCEAN
ACTION
PLAN
Through all of the RPB
member agencies, this effort
involves collaboration with
Clean Virginia Waterways,
a nonprofit organization,
to build upon their existing
initiatives to prevent
balloon litter with a social
marketing strategy aimed
at changing behavior. Each
member agency supported
the sentiment that such
an effort can go a long way
towards preventing litter and
protecting wildlife.
—Emma Maschai
ORiSE Fellow
Maschai. Emma^eoa. gov

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THE FLOW OF... TRASH FREE WATERS
AUGUST 2017-5
3. Trash Clean-up and
Prevention for the Maple
Street Tributary of One Mile
Creek (Alabama)
This project will fund
the Mobile Bay National
Estuary Program for the
construction, installation,
and maintenance of 5
units of a prototype small-
stream litter collector, the
"Litter Gitter," to mitigate
delivery of litter from
urban surfaces into the
Maple Street tributary
of One Mile Creek in the
lower Three Mile Creek
Watershed of Alabama.
As part of this project,
the Mobile Bay National
Estuary Program will build
out their "Create a Clean
Water Future" campaign.
The campaigns goals are
to provide residents with
a clear understanding of
stormwater, its impact,
and the need for improved
stormwater management.
The campaign encourages
good stewardship of the
watershed through positive
personal and community
stormwater management.
Objectives of the campaign
include awareness of
stormwater issues including
the importance of clean
water to the recreational
and commercial uses of
local waters, awareness
of economic degradation
caused by poor stormwater
management and its ensuing
damage to the environment,
and awareness of the lower
cost of prevention compared
to restoration.
4. Litter Audit for the Middle
Blue River (Missouri)
This project funds Bridging
the Gap—a sub-contract
recipient of funds from
the Mid-America Regional
Council, which is an Urban
Waters Federal Partnership
co-lead—to expand their
existing litter audit approach
beyond businesses to
include neighborhoods and
parkways along the Blue
River and Brush Creek in
Missouri. These waters are
part of the geography of the
Middle Blue River Urban
Waters Federal Partnership
area. As part of the project,
Bridging the Gap would
work with Project Blue River
Rescue and Kansas City's
Water Services Department
to conduct a litter audit
during their largest cleanup
of the year; Project Blue
River Rescue. The Middle
Blue River Urban Waters
Federal Partnership and its
affiliates will work together
to ensure that this project
also has a social marketing
component to help change
people's behavior with
respect to trash that the
audit finds has primarily
residential sources.
5. Santa Monica Bay Clean
Bay Certified Restaurant
Source Reduction Program
(California)
The Santa Monica Bay
National Estuary Program
(SMBNEP) will undertake
this source reduction project
to reduce trash in local
waterways as well as marine
debris through a two-
pronged approach. First, its
existing Clean Bay Certified
(CBC) Restaurant Program
will engage participating
restaurants to reduce
single-use disposable items.
Second, SMBNEP will work
with one Santa Monica Bay
Watershed city to analyze
volumetric trash data to
simultaneously demonstrate
the impact that plastic bag
and styrofoam bans have
had on the environment,
and help target future
locations for where
SMBNEP's source reduction
program will make the
biggest impact.
6. Lower Columbia Trash Hot
Spot Identification and
Pacific Northwest TFW
Coalition Building (Oregon
and Washington)
This project consists of two
phases. Phase 1 will consist
of a comprehensive land-
and boat-based survey to
assess small- to medium-
sized debris along 18 miles
of the Columbia Slough and
approximately 125 miles of
Columbia River shoreline.
This preliminary examination
and inventory of very-small
to micro-scale debris aims
to determine the extent of
this type of debris, where
it accumulates, and how
well it can be inventoried
and quantified in this
environment. This pilot
will lay the foundations
for future microplastics
assessment along the
central Oregon coast as
well as upstream. Phase
2 of this project involves
scoping and development of
a Pacific Northwest Regional
TFW Coalition to facilitate
the transfer of skills and
best practices from Phase
1 across all three of EPA
Region 10's National Estuary
Program Partnerships as
well as with the Region's
Urban Waters Federal
Partnership and small grants
sites, and their growing
network of additional
partners. The Region
anticipates that specific
action items under Phase 2
will take shape organically
based on stakeholder input
and priorities.
—Romell Nandi, EPA
Nandi. Romell(a>eDa. gov
The Trosh Free Waters program is pleased to announce that we are specifically making a
concerted effort to integrate more effectively with other water programs, such as EPA's
Urban Waters and National Estuary Programs.

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6 - AUGUST 2017
THE FLOW OF.,, TRASH FREE WATERS
Trash Free Trinity
The Trinity River supplies water
to over 6 million people in the
state of Texas. Starting in the
Dallas/Fort Worth region and
flowing for 708 river miles, the
Trinity eventually meets the
Gulf of Mexico just northeast
of Houston and brings along
with it an enormous amount of
trash picked up along the way.
The Texas coastline is therefore
constantly bombarded by trash
coming from this and several
other rivers into the watershed.
With leadership from EPA
Region 6 staff and key
stakeholders in the Dallas/Fort
Worth area, the Trash Free
Trinity online mapping tool was
formally launched in February,
2017. This groundbreaking
tool was created by a diverse
group of stakeholders within
the river basin and funded
through the generosity of the
American Chemistry Council.
The initial goal for this 'adopt-
a-spot' tool was to foster a
litter-free environment in the
Trinity River Basin by enabling
community leaders to identify,
promote, and track trash
removal activities in their
region. The piloted has worked
well and data continues to
be collected. With just a few
clicks at www.trashfreetrinitv.
com, users can now look up
specific sites at a specific
location or address, determine
their adoption status, and
immediately connect to a local
community coordinator or
volunteer, such as a Keep Texas
Beautiful affiliate, to begin the
process of adopting or fostering
a site as their own. They
plan to create a data overlay
for litter 'hotspots,' so that
interested citizens can focus
their attentions on the most
meaningful sites.
The reception to Trash Free
Trinity has been very positive.
Leaders across the state have
asked to expand the program
to every major watershed in
Texas. Project champions are
now drafting plans and raising
revenue to expand the program
to other major watersheds in a
stepwise process that could be
completed in 3-5 years.
—Doug Jacobson, EPA
Jacobson.Doua(a)eDa. gov
The Rapids: News Drops
NEWS / EVENTS
EPA & Trash Free Waters host Microplastics Expert Workshop
On June 28-29, Trash Free Waters hosted the EPA Microplastics
Expert Workshop in Crystal City, VA. Microplastics are plastic
particles, less than 5mm in any one dimension, that are widely
found in fresh and marine surface waters. The purpose of the
workshop was to identify and prioritize the scientific information
needed to better understand and inform policy on the potential
ecological and human health impacts of microplastic exposure
in the US. The expert participants adopted a risk assessment
approach for the workshop, and focused on three major
topics: 1) methods for the separation, quantification and
characterization of microplastics; 2) microplastics sources,
distribution and fate in the US; and 3) understanding potential
ecological and human health impacts of microplastics in the
US. The top information need identified by the workshop
participants was the need for high-quality methods for
microplastics analysis. The outcomes of the workshop will be
summarized in a forthcoming report.
"Green Infrastructure in Parks: A Guide to Collaboration,
Funding, and Community Engagement."
This guide is intended to encourage partnerships between
park agencies and stormwater agencies to promote the use of
green stormwater infrastructure on public park lands. The guide

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THE FLOW OF... TRASH FREE WATERS
AUGUST 2017-7
provides a stepwise approach to building these partnerships,
with sections on how to identify and engage partners, build
relationships, engage the community, leverage funding, and
identify green infrastructure opportunities. Case studies illustrate
successful approaches. The guide was developed in partnership
with the National Recreation and Park Association. It can be
viewed at https://www.epa.gov/nps/green-infrastructure-parks.
EPA'S Urban Waters Team Nominated for People Choice Award
Urban Waters, a Trash Free Waters partner, is up for a People's
Choice Award. Surabhi Shah and the Urban Waters Team were
nominated for their work to create public-private partnerships
to clean up and revitalize urban waterways and surrounding
lands, spurring economic development and reversing decades
of neglect. Be sure to cast your vote for the People's Choice
Awards! No matter the outcome, we are extremely proud of
Surabhi & team for their hard work and outstanding efforts.
To cast your vote, go to https://servicetoamericamedals.org/
peoples-choice/index, php
Long Beach Harbor Latest to Earn "Clean and Resilient
Marina" Status
Representatives from the Mississippi Department of Marine
Resources and Long Beach Harbor gathered on June 13 to
raise the new "Clean and Resilient Marina" flag to signify the
harbor's successful efforts in over three years of hard work to
earn the designation. Long Beach Harbor now looks forward to
attracting more visiting boaters to and connecting them to the
larger onshore business community. Long Beach Harbor is the
fourth marina in Mississippi to earn the designation "Clean and
Resilient." The Clean and Resilient Marina Initiative is led by the
Gulf of Mexico Alliance (GOMA) Coastal Community Resilience
Priority Issue Team in partnership with the Clean Marina Task
Force that is composed of state agencies from all five Gulf states.
http://www.gulfofmexicoalliance.org/2017/06/long-beach-
harbor-latest-to-earn-clean-and-resilient-marina-status/
CONTESTS
BLUE Gulf Film Competition
The Harte Research Institute is holding a Gulf of Mexico short
film competition. The deadline is October 14, 2017. For more
information, please visit:
https://www.harteresearchinstitute.org/harteofthegulf.
2017 Marine Plastics Innovation Challenge
Think Beyond Plastic and the UN Environment team are hosting
a Marine Plastics Innovation Challenge to engage university
students and faculties in a solutions-oriented effort to help solve
the global marine litter problem. Contestants may enter into
four different categories and there will be one winner from each
track; design and engineering; communications; monitoring,
predication & recovery; and economic impact. The winners
will be announced at the Sixth International Marine Debris
Conference in San Diego in 2018 and will have the chance to
present their ideas. To learn more please visit: https://www.
thinkbevondplastic.com/marineplasticsinnovationchallenge.
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
The Recycling Partnership RFP
Geared specifically to help counties, municipalities, tribes and
solid waste authorities with 4,000 or more households seeking
to upgrade to cart-based curbside recycling collection, awardees
will receive up to $7/cart in grant funding, tailored educational
materials paired with a communications grant, and best in class
technical assistance. The application is one simple form that
must be submitted with letters of recommendation. Potential
applicants may email questions to Technical Assistance Specialist
Justin Gast at jgast@recvclingpartnership.org.
Green Your Campus
Pepsi Co. is teaming up with colleges and universities all across
the U.S. to help "green" their campuses. Campus needs are
expanding and evolving, and so is Pepsi Co! PepsiCo Recycling
now offers expanded college and university programming to
support campuses' zero-impact journeys. So far, 103 colleges and
universities have partnered with Pepsi Co. since 2010 to help in
their sustainability endeavors. Find out more, get your school
started, and take action: https://www.pepsicorecvcling.com/
Programs/CampusEngagement
GOMA's 2017 Gulf Star Program
The Gulf of Mexico Alliance 2017 Gulf Star Program's Request
for Proposals (RFP) is now open. Applications will be accepted
through September 1, 2017. Teams and cross-team initiatives
addressed in this request include: Coastal Resilience, Data and
Monitoring, Ecosystem Services, Education and Engagement,
Water Resources, and Wildlife and Fisheries.
http://www.gulfofmexicoalliance.org/tools-and-resources/gulf-
star-overview/
NFWF Pulling Together Initiative 2017 RFP
Competitive grant funding is to promote the conservation of
natural habitats by preventing, managing or eradicating invasive
and noxious plant species. Full Proposals are due September 19,
2017. http://www.nfwf.org/pti/Pages/2017rfp.aspx
NFWF Bring Back the Native 2017 RFP
Proposals should address projects to restore, protect and
enhance native fish species of conservation concern, especially
in areas on or adjacent to federal agency lands. The Apalachicola
River Basin is identified as an area of concern. Full proposals
are due September 7, 2017.
http://www.nfwf.org/bbn/Pages/2017rfp.aspx
Alabama Department of Environmental Management
Section 319 Grants
Projects should be designed to help prevent, control, and/
or abate nonpoint source pollution in support of Alabama's
Nonpoint Source Management Program. Proposals must
be designed to implement significant actions that will make
absolute progress in preventing, eliminating, or reducing water
quality impairments. The deadline is July 31, 2017.
http://adem.alabama.gov/programs/water/nps/319grant.cnt

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THE FLOW OF... TRASH FREE WATERS
American Honda Foundation
Grant making that supports youth education with a specific
focus on the STEM (science, technology, engineering and
mathematics) subjects in addition to the environment.
Application deadlines are four times a year: February 1,
May 1, August 1, and November 1.
http://www.honda.com/about?id=philanthropy overview
National Endowment for the Humanities Media Projects:
Development Grants
The Media Projects program supports film, television, and radio
projects that engage general audiences with humanities ideas in
creative and appealing ways. These grants enable media producers
to collaborate with scholars to develop humanities content and to
prepare programs for production. The deadline is August 9, 2017.
https://www.neh.gov/grants/public/media-proiects-production-grants
Florida Humanities Council Community Project Grants
Community Project grants provide support for the planning and
implementation of public humanities programs and resources
that meet the needs and interests of local communities. Projects
may include lecture series and panel discussions, reading and
discussion groups, film series, oral history projects, exhibitions,
and the development of cultural resources that complement
public programming. The deadline is August 28, 2017. https://
floridahumanities.org/grants/applv-now/communitv-proiect-grants/
Clif Bar Family Foundation Small Grants
Funding priorities include: Protect Earth's beauty and bounty;
Create a robust, healthy food system; Increase opportunities
for outdoor activity; Reduce environmental health hazards; and
Build stronger communities. Application deadlines are three
time a year: February 1st, June 1st, and October 1st. http://
clifbarfamilvfoundation.org/Grants-Programs/Small-Grants
Temper of the Times Foundation Advertising for the
Environment
Awards promote the use of standard marketing concepts to
increase awareness about environmental issues. The deadline is
December 15, 2017. http://www.temperfund.org/guidelines.html
WEBINARS
Trash Free Waters 2017 Webinar Series
The goal of this series is to promote increased knowledge and
understanding of the sources, distribution, and impacts of
plastics and microplastics in the environment. The featured
presenters are experienced researchers and leaders in this field.
The final webinar will be held on August 25 at 1pm EST and will
feature Dr. Jason McDevitt discussing potential replacements for
plastic products and how we can improve the ways in which we
design materials and products to minimize their environmental
impacts. The previously recorded webinars can be found on the
webpage at: https://www.epa.gov/trash-free-waters/trash-free-
waters-webinar-series
CONFERENCES
Sixth International Marine Debris Conference
The sixth International Marine Debris Conference (6IMDC)
will be held from March 12-16 2018 in San Diego, CA. This
conference, co-hosted by NOAA and the UN Environment,
focuses on sharing lessons learned and best management
practices to reduce and prevent marine debris and its associated
impacts. It also seeks to promote international learning and
the cross-sharing of innovative ideas, methods, and results.
The 6IMDC will bring together international marine debris
researchers, natural resource managers, policy makers, industry
representatives, and the nongovernmental community. The
impetus for this international marine debris conference is the
pressing need to address and reduce the impacts of marine
debris to vital natural resources, human health and safety, and
the economy, https://internationalmarinedebrisconference.org/
Sydney Harris of EPA Region 10 and Samantha Sommer of
Rethink Disposable will be co-hosting a session at 6IMDC entitled
"Strategies for Preventing Trash Before It Starts." This session
will help citizen scientists and other problem solvers engage in
upstream solutions to prevent marine litter. At present, there are
many gaps in our knowledge of how trash gets into waterways.
Rigorous data that can form the basis for clear policies and
practices is necessary to address these gaps. This session will bring
together an interdisciplinary mix of professionals from the solid
waste and materials management sector, citizen and academic
researchers collecting upstream data on waste prevention efficacy
and best practices, and experts in social marketing and behavior
change to discuss leading strategies in upstream waste prevention
so that we can stop marine debris at the source.
Students for Zero Waste Conference 2017
The Post-Landfill Action Network (PLAN) will be holding a Zero
Waste Conference for students on November 3rd, 2017. The
conference will be held at Temple University in Philadelphia,
PA. PLAN cultivates, educates, and inspires the student-led zero
waste movement. We inform students about the waste crisis and
equip them with the necessary skills and resources to implement
solutions to waste in their campus communities. PLAN
empowers our generation to be changemakers. Learn more and
register now at www.postlandfill.org.
70th Annual Conference of the Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute
The 70th GCFI conference will be held in Merida, Mexico from
November 6-10, 2017 and will be hosted by the Hyatt Regency
Merida Hotel. The 70th GCFI conference will focus on applying
fisheries and marine science to solve problems by bringing
multiple users of ocean resources together to make informed
and coordinated decisions for sustainable use of these resources.
Addressing the issues of connectivity, fisheries management,
conservation, and related issues at GCFI will aid in addressing
critical marine resource issues within the Wider Caribbean Region.
The theme of the Conference is "Towards the Sustainability of
Tropical Fisheries Strategies, Models and Tools," with some of the
technical sessions focusing on marine debris and its ecological
impacts. For more information, please visit their webpage:
http://www.clmeproiect.org/2017/06/12/gcfi 70 conference/

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