Debris Science on the Oakland Estuary:The Eagle Has Landed
Mehak “MJ” Suji from WRA surveys the Oakland Estuary shores.
What You See from the Water
From a sailboat, the Oakland Estuary looks different. Madeline Chang Williams learned that in her sophomore year of high school, when she started sailing its waters.
As she sailed past quiet stretches of shoreline, she kept seeing trash: bottles, wrappers and plastic piled on banks no one could reach from land. Nobody cleaned them up, because nobody could easily get there.
So Madeline began forming a plan. At first, she pictured a cleanup by boat. She didn't know it yet, but just down the shoreline, we at I Heart Oakland Alameda Estuary (IHOAE) had been working on the same idea.
It Started in Fourth Grade
Madeline's concern for the ocean began in fourth grade, when her teacher, Ms. Tang, showed the class a video about plastic pollution and microplastics in aquatic ecosystems. That year, Madeline joined her school's Blue Crew and attended the Ocean Plastic Pollution Summit, where students presented many different ideas for fighting plastic waste. She still calls it one of the best experiences of her life and that passion later became her official Eagle Scout project.
A Happy Coincidence
When Madeline found us, she didn't know we had already secured NOAA funding through the City of Oakland, identified 10 marine debris hotspots along the Estuary, and begun bringing NOAA's Marine Debris Monitoring and Assessment Project (MDMAP) to Oakland. MDMAP is a national program that tracks shoreline debris through standardized surveys, and Madeline had been researching it for months. We'd had the same idea, and Madeline found her project, and we found a super curious, diligent citizen scientist.
But there was a problem. NOAA's survey guidelines are designed for typical shorelines, like open beaches. The Estuary's banks move through tricky terrain and thick vegetation, with spots that are hard to reach, and tides that constantly shift the shoreline. We knew where the trash collected, but not how to turn those hotspots into consistent survey sites that met NOAA's standards.
So we asked Mehak “MJ” Suji from the environmental consultancy WRA for help.
As she sailed past quiet stretches of shoreline, she kept seeing trash: bottles, wrappers and plastic piled on banks no one could reach from land. Nobody cleaned them up, because nobody could easily get there.
So Madeline began forming a plan. At first, she pictured a cleanup by boat. She didn't know it yet, but just down the shoreline, we at I Heart Oakland Alameda Estuary (IHOAE) had been working on the same idea.
It Started in Fourth Grade
Madeline's concern for the ocean began in fourth grade, when her teacher, Ms. Tang, showed the class a video about plastic pollution and microplastics in aquatic ecosystems. That year, Madeline joined her school's Blue Crew and attended the Ocean Plastic Pollution Summit, where students presented many different ideas for fighting plastic waste. She still calls it one of the best experiences of her life and that passion later became her official Eagle Scout project.
A Happy Coincidence
When Madeline found us, she didn't know we had already secured NOAA funding through the City of Oakland, identified 10 marine debris hotspots along the Estuary, and begun bringing NOAA's Marine Debris Monitoring and Assessment Project (MDMAP) to Oakland. MDMAP is a national program that tracks shoreline debris through standardized surveys, and Madeline had been researching it for months. We'd had the same idea, and Madeline found her project, and we found a super curious, diligent citizen scientist.
But there was a problem. NOAA's survey guidelines are designed for typical shorelines, like open beaches. The Estuary's banks move through tricky terrain and thick vegetation, with spots that are hard to reach, and tides that constantly shift the shoreline. We knew where the trash collected, but not how to turn those hotspots into consistent survey sites that met NOAA's standards.
So we asked Mehak “MJ” Suji from the environmental consultancy WRA for help.
Mapping by Paddleboard
WRA marine ecologist Mehak “MJ” Suji lives minutes from the Estuary. She volunteered to take the mapping work into the field, and we joined her on the shoreline.
Using a mobile ArcGIS map, MJ recorded the terrain, where back-barrier vegetation began, and any obstacles that could make a survey unsafe or inconsistent.
She found plenty of debris, along with shorebirds and harbor seals: a reminder of who lives alongside the trash. For MJ, it was a chance to put her expertise to work in her own backyard.
WRA marine ecologist Mehak “MJ” Suji lives minutes from the Estuary. She volunteered to take the mapping work into the field, and we joined her on the shoreline.
Using a mobile ArcGIS map, MJ recorded the terrain, where back-barrier vegetation began, and any obstacles that could make a survey unsafe or inconsistent.
She found plenty of debris, along with shorebirds and harbor seals: a reminder of who lives alongside the trash. For MJ, it was a chance to put her expertise to work in her own backyard.
One of three survey sites for the NOAA MDMAP citizen science on our shores.
From Field Notes to Survey Sites
Back at the office, WRA GIS analyst Peter Kobylarz turned MJ's field data into three survey areas. For each area, the team laid out the transects and survey sections NOAA requires. That structure makes the data count: citizen scientists can return to the same spots, measure debris the same way each time, and compare results over years once the data is uploaded to NOAA's MDMAP database. Thanks to WRA, Oakland is now officially on the map!
These maps give us a repeatable framework for our NOAA-funded monitoring, and they gave Madeline a solid place to begin.
Back at the office, WRA GIS analyst Peter Kobylarz turned MJ's field data into three survey areas. For each area, the team laid out the transects and survey sections NOAA requires. That structure makes the data count: citizen scientists can return to the same spots, measure debris the same way each time, and compare results over years once the data is uploaded to NOAA's MDMAP database. Thanks to WRA, Oakland is now officially on the map!
These maps give us a repeatable framework for our NOAA-funded monitoring, and they gave Madeline a solid place to begin.
Survey Day
Before the first survey, Madeline was nervous. She had a detailed scientific method to master, had to pick the correct time to monitor the site and manage a team of volunteer scouts. Once they reached the shoreline, the nerves disappeared. “The moment we got there and started working, it was fun,” she said.
Working alongside our team, Madeline led the first survey and helped submit the data to NOAA. The project brought together everything she had been building toward: years of concern about plastic pollution, her time on the water, and a real contribution to marine science.
Madeline is 17, a Senior Patrol Leader with Troop 402, and is now officially an Eagle Scout. This path wasn't open to young women until recently: girls couldn't join Scouts BSA until 2019, and the first female Eagle Scouts were recognized in 2021.
Before the first survey, Madeline was nervous. She had a detailed scientific method to master, had to pick the correct time to monitor the site and manage a team of volunteer scouts. Once they reached the shoreline, the nerves disappeared. “The moment we got there and started working, it was fun,” she said.
Working alongside our team, Madeline led the first survey and helped submit the data to NOAA. The project brought together everything she had been building toward: years of concern about plastic pollution, her time on the water, and a real contribution to marine science.
Madeline is 17, a Senior Patrol Leader with Troop 402, and is now officially an Eagle Scout. This path wasn't open to young women until recently: girls couldn't join Scouts BSA until 2019, and the first female Eagle Scouts were recognized in 2021.
The Eagle Has Landed
The project worked because each partner brought something different to the shore. We brought the NOAA-funded monitoring effort. WRA brought the science and mapping expertise to make a difficult shoreline surveyable. Madeline brought years of commitment to the waters she sails.
For us, it's one step in a larger mission: bringing standardized debris monitoring to the Oakland Estuary and understanding what washes up on its shores, and why.
Congratulations, Madeline, on earning your Eagle Scout rank. Thank you to MJ, Peter, the whole WRA team, and everyone who made this project possible.
This project is supported by The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Marine Debris Program.
The project worked because each partner brought something different to the shore. We brought the NOAA-funded monitoring effort. WRA brought the science and mapping expertise to make a difficult shoreline surveyable. Madeline brought years of commitment to the waters she sails.
For us, it's one step in a larger mission: bringing standardized debris monitoring to the Oakland Estuary and understanding what washes up on its shores, and why.
Congratulations, Madeline, on earning your Eagle Scout rank. Thank you to MJ, Peter, the whole WRA team, and everyone who made this project possible.
This project is supported by The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Marine Debris Program.
OCT / 2026
Text author:Mary Spicer
