Kelly Martin grew up in the San Francisco Bay area, passionate about oceans and marine life. She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in marine affairs, a melding of science, policy, and economics aimed at forging environmental solutions. Today, Kelly heads a program called SPLASh, short for: Stopping Plastics and Litter Along Shorelines. SPLASh, a joint effort of American Bird Conservancy, Gulf Coast Bird Observatory, and Black Cat GIS, targets plastics and trash pollution in the most densely populated stretch of the Upper Texas Coast, in the Houston-Galveston area. This is Kelly’s story, in her own words: Bringing people on board with this effort is really exciting. Everyone is aware of and feels strongly about the issue of plastics and trash pollution: Nobody wants to see plastics in their parks, on their beaches, on their streets. Pretty much everyone can agree that we need solutions to this problem.
Each month, we lead trash cleanups along coastal and bay shorelines, bayous, and in parks throughout the region. We also do community outreach events and teach in K-12 classrooms and lead field trips to clean up trash and collect data with students.
American Oystercatcher entangled in plastic waste.
Throughout all of this, we count and sort trash. Our data is put into a statewide database to get a better picture of what’s going on so that we can address the root of the problem, rather than just cleaning up on the back end.
We really try to engage everyone, regardless of how close they live to water. Pretty much wherever you live, your trash can end up in the environment where it may harm wildlife.
This is one of our most important messages: No matter how far apart we are, we’re all connected.
We urge people to support big-picture initiatives like local or state efforts to reduce single-use plastics, or the proposed federal Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act, but it all starts with simple changes in daily life. Activism can have a “trickle-up” effect: You may start with a reusable bottle, and before you know it, you’re advocating for a plastic-bag ban in your hometown. It all makes a difference!
Kelly Martin
Award-winning watercolor painter Beatriz Benavente lives in Spain, where she specializes in scientific and bird illustration. You can follow her on Instagram: www.instagram.com/wildstories.art
