While searching for studies on how plastics affect shorebirds and seabirds I stumbled upon Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association’s website.

The site is filled with extensive information on the Northern California coast’s marine and bird and wildlife. The Sanctuary Association has developed educational programs for a variety of age groups about the unique habitats of the region.

I highly recommend that you take some time to read about the Sanctuary and then work through the educational material. Click the image above to go to the site.

Back to plastics: July is Plastic Free July, according to an organization that spreads the word every year about the impact of single use plastics. PlasticFreeJuly.org challenges people worldwide to try to live without single use plastics for a day or for the whole month.

The impact of plastics on our environment is beyond our scope of imagination. Internet articles tell of how there is more to it than we realize. Plastic trash comes in all sizes: large trash, like waterbottles, to small particles, like the microbeads in personal hygiene products like toothpaste, are being ingested by marine life and birds. And it’s killing them.  Once ingested, it’s hard to digest and remains inside the creature’s stomach.  If your stomach always feels full then you don’t eat, right? Well, that’s the same for wildlife. Ingesting materials that don’t leave the stomach can cause starvation.  Some materials can cause poisoning.

Do what you can to keep our shorebirds plastic free. Check out the educational link above to learn about the sanctuary and birding habitats in Northern California. Then plan to minimize your plastics use this month.  You may end up with a good habit.

Save The Chicks.