BEACON – Hudson River Sloop Clearwater will launch a microplastics pollution prevention project in coming months.
The project, funded with $10,000 from the Malcolm Gordon Charitable Fund, will raise the alarm about microplastics pollution, a threat to the Hudson River that allows pollutants to enter and contaminate the food chain, poison the water and harm the river’s ecology. It will begin in the spring, will combine field, in-class and onboard opportunities for students to study and learn ways to prevent microplastic pollution.
“Microplastics are entering the Hudson River through microbeads in personal care products, fibers from our clothes, and trash that breaks apart in the environment,” said Clearwater Education Director Dave Conover. Those plastics can absorb toxins and serve as “poison pills” to the animal life in the water that can mistake them for food, he said. Clearwater has been sampling for and teaching about microplastics since the summer of 2014.
Conover said the new project has the potential to gather data about the extent of microplastics in the river, but will also give students the opportunities to take action to prevent plastic pollution from happening.
Newburgh man sentenced for illegal possession of gun
May 16, 2024
