AT: Midway Atoll: The Effect of Plastic Pollution on Birds with Anna Vallery

Despite being thousands of miles from civilization, plastic pollution from Asia and the Americas constantly washes up on the pristine shores of Midway. Plastic is found in the stomachs of the many birds that call the atoll home. Houston Audubon Conservation Specialist Anna Vallery spent six months on Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge in 2015 as a biological science intern. She immediately fell in love with the habitat, the wildlife, and, of course, the seabirds. But during her time there she was faced with the harsh reality that human activity has impacted even in the most remote locations. Midway has since become the heart of the plastic pollution movement and is inspiring cities far away, like Houston, to do better.

Anna Vallery is a Conservation Specialist with Houston Audubon. She runs the Natives Nursery, manages two northern sanctuaries, and helps with the Bird-Friendly Communities Program. Her love of wildlife is life-long, but she discovered her love of birds during an internship on Midway Atoll working with Laysan Albatross. Since then, Anna has completed a master’s degree studying Galveston Bay’s shorebirds, seabirds, and wading birds and is now surrounding herself with all the bird knowledge Houston Audubon has to offer.