Volunteers from Habitat Work, a southern California volunteer, collected more than 255 pounds of trash March 30. (Photo: USFWS)

Volunteers from Habitat Work, a southern California volunteer, collected more than 255 pounds of “microtrash” from California condor habitat at Whittaker Peak in the Angeles National Forest March 30.

Microtrash consists of bottle caps, pull tabs, broken glass, cigarette butts, small plastic, lead bullets and casings, and similar manufactured items. Microtrash collection helps prevent the inquisitive Condors from ingesting trash, or returning items to their nests, where chicks can ingest the trash, which often kills them. 

According to Marc Weitzel, project leader at Hopper Mountain National Wildlife Refuge Complex, Most of the trash collected had been at this site for years and now, because of the closure to vehicle access, it is expected that this site will pretty much be trash free.