Clear Your Gear changes name to Mind Your Line

Clear Your Gear is now operating under the new group name Mind Your Line.
Founded in 2014, the project is a collaborative effort among island conservation organizations to reduce the amount of monofilament and fishing gear left in the environment, which is often detrimental to wildlife. The project has been rebranded after encountering copyright challenges last year.
“We learned that an individual had recently and unexpectedly claimed the rights to our previous name, so we had to pause and adjust our course,” Steering Committee Member Dr. Heather Barron, the medical and research director for the Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife said. “All of us on the Mind Your Line committee remain dedicated to the project’s purpose, and we plan to continue our work enthusiastically under our new name.”
Mind Your Line maintains more than 30 monofilament recycling bins on Sanibel, Captiva and the Causeway Islands. The group has produced a variety of educational materials about the proper disposal of fishing gear and how to safely assist entangled wildlife. Some new initiatives are being planned for later this year, when Mind Your Line will also unveil a revised website and social media platform.
The participating organizations include CROW, the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge, “Ding” Darling Wildlife Society-Friends of the Refuge, Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation, Sanibel Sea School and city of Sanibel. A representative from each group signed an updated memorandum of understanding in March to make the name change official.
For more information, contact mindyourline@gmail.com.