sam,+joe,+and+liz+a+watershed+composition

__**The Watershed Garbage Project**__
__**Authors:**__ Joe Fisher, Sam Oliff, Elizabeth H.

__**Purpose/Plan**__: The purpose of our project is to research the quantity, trends, and diversity of trash found over different time periods (approximately one month intervals), and hopefully analyze the acquired data to figure out the reasons behind the trends. In addition we will be classifying the harmfulness of different pieces of garbage to see which has the greatest effect on the environment.

__**Compilation of our Watershed Data**__ December 6, 2007 Total Count: 48 pieces of garbage
 * Garbage found near picnic area**: The picnic area produced the least garbage; we only found about 4 pieces. A source of error could be that fact that is was winter and there was snow. (3 pieces of paper, 1 plastic bottle)
 * Garbage on trail**: On our journey of the flat rock trails we found 23 pieces of garbage; however, the snow was also covering the trails. (12 pieces of paper, 5 plastic bottles, 1 piece of Styrofoam, 5 cigarette butts.)
 * Garbage in the woods**: We scavenged about in woods, but ultimately only found about 21 pieces of garbage, despite our prediction of the woods having the highest garbage count. (18 pieces of garbage, 2 plastic bottles, and 1 cigarette butt.)

February 28, 2008 Total Count: 46 pieces
 * Garbage found near picnic area**: Once again when we went to the picnic area there was snow which can account for some error. We found only 3 pieces of trash in that area. (3 pieces of paper)
 * Garbage on trail**: We found 20 pieces of garbage on the trails. These trails however were covered with snow. (13 pieces of paper, 4 plastic bottles, 2 cigarette butts, 1 piece of plastic)
 * Garbage in the woods**: Within the woods we found 23 pieces of garbage. This agreed with our original prediction that the woods would have the highest garbage count. (18 pieces of paper, 2 plastic bottles, 3 pieces of glass)

April 4, 2008 Total: 59 pieces
 * Garbage found near picnic area**: With the snow melted and the weather beginning to improve we saw an increase in garbage in the picnic area. Where we previously found 4 and then 3 pieces of garbage we found 7 pieces. (6 pieces of paper, 1 plastic bottle.)
 * Garbage on trail**: On the trail we found about 28 pieces of garbage. This is another increase from the previous two visits (20 pieces of paper, 7 plastic bottles, 1 piece of plastic.)
 * Garbage in the woods**: In the woods we found 24 pieces of garbage. We found only one more piece of garbage than we did when in February when it was snow covered which was interesting. (19 of paper, 3 plastic bottles, 1 piece of glass, 1 cigarette butt.)

May 14, 2008 Total: 67 pieces
 * Garbage found near picnic area**: With the weather being as nice as it was we saw an increase in trash in many parts of Flat Rock. In total we found 11 pieces of garbage around the picnic area. (7 pieces of paper, 1 plastic bottle, 1 orange peel, 2 pieces of plastic)
 * Garbage on trail**: On the trail we found about 30 pieces of garbage. This is another increase from the previous two visits but not as high as we were expecting since the increase near the picnic area was so high. (20 pieces of paper, 7 plastic bottles, 1 wine bottle, 2 pieces of plastic.)
 * Garbage in the woods**: In the woods we found 26 pieces of garbage. We once again only found a small margin more than we previously had. (20 pieces of paper, 4 plastic bottles, 2 cigarette butts.)

May 28, 2008 Total Piece Count: 84
 * Garbage found near picnic area**: twenty pieces (13 pieces of paper, 4 plastic bottles, 1 piece of plastic, 1 piece of glass, 1 apple core)
 * Garbage on trail**: 35 pieces of garbage. (20 pieces of paper, 3 plastic bottles, 7 cigg butts, 5 pieces of glass.)
 * Garbage in the woods**: 29 pieces of garbage. (17 pieces of paper, 1 plastic bottle, 5 cigarette butts, 1 piece of styrofoam, 5 pieces of glass)


 * __Hypothesis:__** As the weather gets increasingly better (warmer) more people begin to utilize Flat Rock Brook, and in the process litter more and more. The woods should have the most litter, because unlike the trails and picnic area they are not cleaned up as thoroughly. In addition, people are more likely to throw their trash into the woods, because it is less likely to be found. In addition the higher frequency of trash that is not bio-degradable the worse of an effect it will have on that area. Ultimately the area that has the most trash and highest frequency of non bio-degradable trash is the least likely to survive as a suitable habitat for animals and people without outside interference.

__**Graphs and Trends**__

Trends: During December, we observed our first trash count in the picnic area (4). We only found pieces, because the weather was becoming increasingly unsuitable for use of the picnic area due to the frigid temperatures. The trash count goes down once again in February because there is snow, and the picnic area is virtually unusable for any of its designed purposes. As the temperature warms up, however, in April and May we see the trash count increases.

Trends: The trends evident in the picnic area are very similar for the trails. During periods of cold weather the primary people who utilize Flat Rock Brook trails for hiking, walking, and observing cannot do so. Once again as we see a rise in the trash count when the weather is better and when it snows (February) there is a dip.

Trends: The woods have a nearly identical trend in their data; however, the garbage count does not decrease during the period of snow. As the weather gets increasingly tepid afterward, though, the trash count continues on an upward slope.

Trends: Ultimately all three areas produced extremely similar trends in data. The better the weather is for use of Flat Rock Brook the more trash finds its way onto the trails, picnic area, and into the woods.

Trends: Of the 48 pieces of garbage we found they were primarily cigarette buts, plastic containers, paper, or unidentified litter. This time the majority were unidentified, followed closely by paper and then plastic and cigarette buts.

Trends: Of the 46 pieces of garbage we were able to come across, the majority were paper. There were also some pieces of glass, plastic, and 1 or 2 cigarette buts. There was a slight dip in trash, most likely because there was snow on the ground and the weather was coldest it had been during any visit.

Trends: Of the 59 pieces of garbage we came across, once again the majority were paper, mixed in with very small amounts of plastic and miniscule amounts of glass and cigarette buts. The trash count for April was the highest to date.

Trends: Of the 67 pieces of trash we uncovered in the second week of may, once again the trend remains the same with mostly paper, followed secondly by plastic, and then smaller amounts of cigarette buts, and glass. This time, however, we also found a piece of food. The total trash count continued to increase into May.

Trends: Of the 84 pieces of litter we unearthed, the trends remained similar to earlier dates, but this time the variety of trash was a little more distributed. Paper trash remained far in the lead with 50 pieces, however, this time cigarette buts and pieces of glass were more abundant then plastic. In addition we found a piece of Styrofoam and food. The overall number of trash continued to increase.

Trends: Of the 304 pieces of trash we found throughout our visits to Flat Rock Brook Nature Center, the majority were paper based. This was followed by plastic at a distant margin. Then at all relatively close counts were cigarettes, glass, and unidentified pieces of litter. Finally there were scarce amounts of food and Styrofoam that we found during our visits. Just because we did not find certain trash, however, does not mean it is not present in the nature center, which encompasses 150 acres of land.

Average Temperatures for each month we visited December: 34° February: 32.6° April: 52.4° May: 60°
 * __Temperatures__**:

Trends: The amount of total trash in each month correlates with the temperature. As the temperature gets higher, the amount of trash rises in each month. As expected, February was the coldest, and we also encountered snow. December was almost as cold so trash was also scarce. April and May, however, warmed up quite a bit on average, and the amount of trash increased.

Sources: http://climate.rutgers.edu/stateclim/ http://climate.rutgers.edu/stateclim_v1/data/index.html http://climate.rutgers.edu/stateclim_v1/data/north_njhisttemp.html

Which trash is Bio-Degradable; and how long does it take to bio-degrade?
 * __Bio-degradable__**:

Paper: Bio- Degradable - 2-5 months Orange peels: Bio-degradable - 6 months Cigarette butts: Bio-degradable - 1 to 12 years Plastic 6-pack holder rings: Biodegradable - 450 years Glass bottles: Bio-degradable - 1 million years Plastic bottles: Non-Biodegradable Styrofoam: Non-Biodegradable
 * __List of how long it takes trash to biodegrade__**

Sources: [|http://worldwise.stores.yahoo.net] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biodegradation

What are some of the negative effects trash can have on the environment when it does not bio-degrade for a long time or at all?
 * __Discussion:__**

If something is bio-degradable it decomposes overtime, through the help of living organisms such as fungi, bacteria, and more. The idea is that these items will decompose into less harmful chemicals. If something is not capable of biodegrading, however, it can pollute toxins into the water and soil of the environment. Scientists in recent years, however, have been able to make many items that were previously thought to be non biodegradable items into biodegradable items, such as plastics, detergents, and other household items. Unfortunately replacing merchandise with biodegradable alternatives can be costly and inefficient for the producer. Ultimately a lot of the trash we found at Flat Rock Brook was biodegradable, but would not biodegrade quickly. Only paper and food of the things we found would biodegrade in under a year. It is important for the people of Flat Rock to not litter, but equally important to make sure what they bring in to the nature center is biodegradable. Hopefully in coming years our government will intervene or manufacturers will be more inclined to use biodegradable products; and maybe even one day people will stop littering altogether.

Sources: http://science.jrank.org/pages/860/Biodegradable-Substances.html

The Hypothesis is backed up by the data in almost every instance with only a few exceptions. The amount of total trash seems to be directly correlated to the warmness of the weather, with trash counts and temperatures increasing in April and May, while decreasing in the colder February. Only in the woods during February did we find more trash than December, this, however, could have been an error because of the snow posing an obstacle to our observations. Surprisingly though, we found the most trash on the trails not in the woods. This could be because people are simply too lazy to throw their garbage, or the openness of the trails allowed us to find more garbage easily. The trail both had the most trash and the least biodegradable trash. In conclusion, as the temperature increases the frequency of people who visit the Flat Rock Nature Center does as well. When this happens the amount of littering increases because there are more people to litter. Furthermore the most littering is done on the trails and it is most likely to be harmed by the lack of biodegradable items being littered and become an unsuitable habitat. To further support our hypothesis we would need a census of the daily visitors to Flat Rock and the temperatures in that exact environment, as well a more extensive sweep for trash. To help solve the problem of excessive littering, the word needs to be spread about the harmfulness it can cause to the environment and more people need to volunteer to pick up trash even if they did not litter themselves. The damage of trash is caused by human presence and for the most part must be cleaned up by humans. More biodegradable products would also benefit the environment, but it is not enough alone.
 * __Conclusion:__**
 * __Next Step/Remaining Work:__**

--Pictures of Trash we found__