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Students urge anglers to stow fishing line

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By CHRISTINE COMMERCE

Special to the Tribune

Published: November 11, 2009

PALM RIVER - Students from Dowdell Middle Magnet School got a lesson in environmental stewardship Nov. 3 when they teamed up with Keep Hillsborough County Beautiful to help keep dangerous fishing line out of our waterways.

The students made portable monofilament tubes for boaters and recreational fishermen to prevent fishing line from ending up in the environment, where it is hazardous to local wildlife through entanglement and ingestion.

Keep Hillsborough County Beautiful, based in Tampa, received a Clean Water Grant from the BoatU.S. Foundation for Boating Safety & Clean Water. The highly competitive, annual grant program is designed to help nonprofit groups, associations, organizations and other waterway users spread the message about clean boating practices at the grassroots level.

This year, the grant program attracted nearly 100 applications from across the country, and Keep Hillsborough County Beautiful was one of only 10 that received funding. It will use money to expand its Monofilament Recycling and Recovery Program to include production and distribution of 1,000 personal-sized monofilament recycling containers.

These bins are designed for anglers to use as an immediate step in the transferring of used monofilament line.

"Stow It - Don't Throw It" is designed to involve youth in the assembly of the personal recycling bins, as well to educate the public about the correct disposal of fishing line. The bins are made out of recycled tennis ball containers and are equipped with a Velcro strap that allows anglers to attach them to boats or fishing piers.

Educational materials will be included in the bins, which will be distributed during outreach events, educational presentations, at piers, and during fishing tournaments.

"Working with local nonprofits like this enables us to focus on issues specific to local waterways," said Alanna Keating, grant coordinator for the BoatU.S. Foundation. The grant program is available online at www .BoatUS.com/Foundation.
KHCB is a non-profit organization whose mission is to create an awareness of litter prevention, recycling and beautification through its various education programs.

For information, contact KHCB at (813) 960-5121 or go to www .khcbonline.org.

Christine Commerce is executive director of Keep Hillsborough County Beautiful.

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