Well the list of covid related problems just keeps growing. Researchers in the Netherlands have been documenting a lot of wildlife which are being killed by discarded masks and latex gloves. They are also inviting individuals from all over the world to post their own observations of wildlife that has been affected by covid waste. (Negatively or positively – many animals are dying while some birds have been using masks and gloves in nest building.)
You can find their website, see the results, and make your own report here: https://www.covidlitter.com/
A story about it in Science News can be found here: Science News Covid Trash Article
Our volunteers are very diligent about picking up trash as well as fishing line. While a mask is dangerous until we find it, we usually find and remove them pretty quickly, thus reducing the danger. So far we have not found any wildlife entangled in covid litter at Lake Hodges.
If you would like to help us – at Lake Hodges or at your own local fishing area – please contact me.