Preventing Cigarette Litter and Fishing Gear Pollution around Lake Springfield, Illinois

Cigarette waste and abandoned fishing gear are two of the most common types of plastic litter found in/near U.S. shorelines and waterways. Smoked cigarette butts and cigarette filters are acutely toxic to marine and freshwater fish; abandoned fishing lures and lines can entangle and injure several types of aquatic wildlife. This poster will highlight research and outreach activities conducted from 2019-2021 around Lake Springfield as part of a larger study to evaluate and prevent cigarette and fishing line litter in central Illinois waterways. We collected recycled fishing line and lures from 11 fishing sites on Lake Springfield, installed ballot-bin cigarette waste receptacles, and conducted broad shoreline litter surveys. The poster will emphasize the preliminary results of our study, detailing the extent of the problem on Lake Springfield, collaborations with local agencies (CWLP), and the initial effectiveness of our strategies to prevent fishing gear and cigarette litter from polluting this popular semi-urban freshwater lake.