Ohio Sea Grant is pleased to announce the addition of Abigail Comar as Marine Debris Outreach Specialist for the program.
Comar, who graduated from Michigan State University in May with bachelor’s degrees in fisheries and wildlife and journalism, will work with Cleveland-area communities to keep marine debris out of Lake Erie.
Abigail Comar, Ohio Sea Grant Marine Debris Outreach Specialist
Her position is associated with two ongoing projects led by Ohio Sea Grant. One, Plastic-Free Cleveland, is a coalition that aims to reduce consumption of single-use plastics to decrease pollution entering the watershed. The other, Beach and On-water Trash Trapping Tech Team for Lake Erie (Bottttle), involves training coastal partners to use trash removal technology.
Through the latter project, Comar will share two litter capture and clean-up devices called BeBot and Pixie Drone with partners in the Cleveland area and educate people about the technology at outreach events. The devices were provided by the Council of the Great Lakes Region with funding from the retailer Meijer.
“We are so excited to have Abigail working on these projects. She is bringing fresh ideas and great enthusiasm to them,” said Jill Bartalotta, Ohio Sea Grant extension educator. “The ability to hire a second person to work on marine debris highlights the importance of Ohio Sea Grant’s efforts in this space. We look forward to expanding the reach of our programming, especially through involvement of underserved communities.”
Before her hire at Ohio Sea Grant, Comar worked as a professional aide for the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife at Michigan State and as a communications assistant for the university’s Office of Sustainability. She also served internships with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Michigan State University Extension, and the W.K. Kellogg Biological Station in Hickory Corners, MI.
Her contact information is available at ohioseagrant.osu.edu/about/people.
Ohio Sea Grant is supported by The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) School of Environment and Natural Resources, Ohio State University Extension, and NOAA Sea Grant, a network of 34 Sea Grant programs nation-wide dedicated to the protection and sustainable use of marine and Great Lakes resources. For more information, visit ohioseagrant.osu.edu.