Community Science‐Informed Local Policy: A Case Study in Pinole Creek Litter Assessment
Abstract California is one of the only states actively managing trash in its rivers. Several community groups in Pinole, CA, USA collaborated on a Thriving Earth Exchange community science project. Its purpose was to assess the trash in Pinole Creek and identify policy development opportunities for...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2023-03-01
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| Series: | Community Science |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1029/2022CSJ000017 |
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| author | Win Cowger Itzel Gomez Norma Martinez‐Rubin Ann Moriarty Todd Harwell Lisa Anich |
| author_facet | Win Cowger Itzel Gomez Norma Martinez‐Rubin Ann Moriarty Todd Harwell Lisa Anich |
| author_sort | Win Cowger |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract California is one of the only states actively managing trash in its rivers. Several community groups in Pinole, CA, USA collaborated on a Thriving Earth Exchange community science project. Its purpose was to assess the trash in Pinole Creek and identify policy development opportunities for the community. The key scientific questions were: how much trash was in the creek at the time of the study, what types of trash were most abundant, and where should the community be most concerned about trash in the creek? The team enlisted additional community volunteers at local events. A randomized sampling design and a community science‐adapted version of The San Francisco Estuary Institute's Trash Monitoring Playbook was used to survey the trash in the creek. The Thriving Earth Team estimated there were 37 m3 and 47,820 pieces of total trash in the creek channel with an average concentration of 2 m3 per km and 2,697 pieces per km. The community gained an understanding of the scale of the problem. Plastic and single‐use trash were most abundant, and the community members expressed high concern about plastic single‐use food packaging and tobacco‐related waste. The community identified locations in the creek where trash was abundant and prioritized follow‐up study locations. Seven new recommendations were presented to the Pinole City Council. The City Council unanimously voted to further discuss ordinance‐related recommendations. And that was when community science contributed to local policy development. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d6a9b127047d423b9408bb09c53335d2 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2692-9430 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Community Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-d6a9b127047d423b9408bb09c53335d22025-08-20T02:02:12ZengWileyCommunity Science2692-94302023-03-0121n/an/a10.1029/2022CSJ000017Community Science‐Informed Local Policy: A Case Study in Pinole Creek Litter AssessmentWin Cowger0Itzel Gomez1Norma Martinez‐Rubin2Ann Moriarty3Todd Harwell4Lisa Anich5Moore Institute for Plastic Pollution Research Long Beach CA USAEarthTeam Richmond CA USAPinole Creek Thriving Earth Exchange Pinole CA USAFriends of Pinole Creek Watershed Board of Directors Pinole CA USAThriving Earth Exchange American Geophysical Union Washington DC USAContra Costa Resource Conservation District Concord CA USAAbstract California is one of the only states actively managing trash in its rivers. Several community groups in Pinole, CA, USA collaborated on a Thriving Earth Exchange community science project. Its purpose was to assess the trash in Pinole Creek and identify policy development opportunities for the community. The key scientific questions were: how much trash was in the creek at the time of the study, what types of trash were most abundant, and where should the community be most concerned about trash in the creek? The team enlisted additional community volunteers at local events. A randomized sampling design and a community science‐adapted version of The San Francisco Estuary Institute's Trash Monitoring Playbook was used to survey the trash in the creek. The Thriving Earth Team estimated there were 37 m3 and 47,820 pieces of total trash in the creek channel with an average concentration of 2 m3 per km and 2,697 pieces per km. The community gained an understanding of the scale of the problem. Plastic and single‐use trash were most abundant, and the community members expressed high concern about plastic single‐use food packaging and tobacco‐related waste. The community identified locations in the creek where trash was abundant and prioritized follow‐up study locations. Seven new recommendations were presented to the Pinole City Council. The City Council unanimously voted to further discuss ordinance‐related recommendations. And that was when community science contributed to local policy development.https://doi.org/10.1029/2022CSJ000017Thriving Earth Exchangelittertrashwater qualityplastic pollutionassessment |
| spellingShingle | Win Cowger Itzel Gomez Norma Martinez‐Rubin Ann Moriarty Todd Harwell Lisa Anich Community Science‐Informed Local Policy: A Case Study in Pinole Creek Litter Assessment Community Science Thriving Earth Exchange litter trash water quality plastic pollution assessment |
| title | Community Science‐Informed Local Policy: A Case Study in Pinole Creek Litter Assessment |
| title_full | Community Science‐Informed Local Policy: A Case Study in Pinole Creek Litter Assessment |
| title_fullStr | Community Science‐Informed Local Policy: A Case Study in Pinole Creek Litter Assessment |
| title_full_unstemmed | Community Science‐Informed Local Policy: A Case Study in Pinole Creek Litter Assessment |
| title_short | Community Science‐Informed Local Policy: A Case Study in Pinole Creek Litter Assessment |
| title_sort | community science informed local policy a case study in pinole creek litter assessment |
| topic | Thriving Earth Exchange litter trash water quality plastic pollution assessment |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1029/2022CSJ000017 |
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