Stream team to target Fulton's waterways

Plastics can leach chemicals into waterways and be hazardous to the health of both humans and area wildlife. Fulton's new Stream Team will be out cleaning up Stinson Creek on Saturday, April 16.
Plastics can leach chemicals into waterways and be hazardous to the health of both humans and area wildlife. Fulton's new Stream Team will be out cleaning up Stinson Creek on Saturday, April 16.

The Fulton Stream Team, a voluntary organization made up of residents, businesses, students and city employees will take on the cleanup of the city's waterways, beginning with Stinson Creek during Clean Sweep Saturday on April 16.

The effort may expand to other streams in the future, organizers say.

photo

AP

"Other than the aesthetics of keeping our waterways free of trash, it's also an issue of safety," said Amy Meier, Stream Team coordination biologist with the Missouri Department of Conservation. "Glass or aluminum in streams could cause injury to anyone recreating in the waterways."

Meier went on to say plastics can leach chemicals into water and streambeds and damage water quality.

"As plastics break down, they can leach chemicals such as BPA (Bisphenol A) into the water," Meier said. "We don't yet know the long-term implications of how toxic these chemicals might be."

As far as the impact of trash on wildlife or aquatic life, Meier points to instances of animals mistaking trash for food or habitat.

"They can get trapped inside the trash, then not be able to escape," she said. "That can physically affect how they grow or whether or not they are able to feed."

Many animals or birds that ingest plastics, are unable to digest them. Meier said that shorebirds whose bellies have been cut open have been found to be full of plastic.

Missouri's most notorious creature affected by littering is Peanut, a red-eared slider turtle, who is Missouri's No MOre Trash! mascot. Peanut was found in the 1990s with a plastic six-pack holder around her shell. According to MDC, the piece of litter had been around her shell for about four years, and her shell had grown around it, shaping it like an "8' or a peanut.

Anyone interested in participating with the Fulton team can contact Fulton City Hall at 573-592-3111. Bags and gloves will be provided to volunteers.