Please join us Tuesday, April 16, 7:00 p.m., (in person or on Zoom) when we hear from Ella Swigler, a University of Louisville (U of L) graduate student, and learn about her research around local streams using the National Geographic Marine Debris Tracker app.

This research began as a part of the CEEEM Program (Community-engaged Educational Ecosystem Model) through the Aqlan Lab (U of L). It is an 8-week project founded by the National Science Foundation, and the research topic examined the anthropogenic litter trends in Beargrass Creek. The team explored the land use/land cover surrounding each of the three forks, as well as the habitat health and human awareness at various sites along the creek. Each of these variables were analyzed in relationship to the amount of litter observed within the selected sites using the National Geographic Marine Debris Tracker app.
 
To expand the work, Ella explored how this data could be integrated into a hydrologic model to study the litter patterns further. She also examined how the Marine Debris Tracker could support more citizen science projects, and sought to find the trends behind anthropogenic litter accumulation that would inform meaningful action steps to reduce the pollution, not only in Beargrass Creek, but for all the critical urban waterways that can be easily overlooked in cities. The importance of connecting citizens to local tributaries and advocating for the conservation of these urban waterways cannot be emphasized enough as crucial components for ultimately healthy rivers and clean oceans. 

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