Boat trip to explore, protect wetlands MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire marked World Wetlands Day (Saturday 2 February) with a boat trip in Western Port for “key decision makers across local government, industry, and environmental advocates”. The trip enabled the passengers to “explore one of the peninsula’s most internationally significant regions”. The Western Port Ramsar wetlands near Hastings is part of the United Nations (UNESCO) declared special biosphere reserve of the Western Port catchment and is one of only nine biospheres in Australia. The shire’s boat trip was preceded the release this week of new research showing Western Port is increasingly vulnerable to pressures from population growth, urbanisation, run-off from residential and rural land, coastal erosion and sea-level rise. The research by Melbourne water, Understanding the Western Port Environment, looks at how best to protect the bay and its significant local and international natural habitat. Melbourne Water’s Rhys Coleman says current rates of urban development in the southeast growth corridor and climate change projections mean “this is a challenging time for protecting the Western Port environment”. Those aboard the shire’s boat tour included MP for Western Victoria Andy Meddick, former Federal MP Kelvin Thompson, Frankston councillor Quinn McCormack, representatives from Esso, BlueScope Steel, Phillip Island Nature Park, Friends of French Island, Western Port Biosphere Foundation, Western Port harbourmaster, Save Western Port and Coast Care (DEWLP). Peninsula councillors Rosie Clark, Kate Roper, Julie Morris and CEO John Baker were also on board. The shire says “expert guides” spoke “passionately” about preserving the wetlands “and the flow-on impacts to native bird life, seagrasses and mangroves”.
Guided tour: The Western Port Biosphere Foundation’s Lance Lloyd and Jo McCoy presenting their “report card” while touring Western Port on World Wetlands Day. Picture: Supplied
The mayor Cr David Gill said the “common thread from all attendees was the importance and immediacy of protecting this unique biosphere reserve”. “We heard from a number of subject experts discussing a range of topics from importance of the region for migratory birds, sea grasses and mangroves to industry, fishing and tourism ventures,” he said. “The key theme expressed throughout the day was sound management and protection of this environmentally sensitive region was essential.”
He said the disappearance of migratory birds “in places like Tasmania” increased the importance of preserving wetlands in Western Port. Gill said the wetlands helped make the peninsula “special” and their contribution “to the amenity, lifestyle and wellbeing of our residents and visitors should never be underestimated”. Council wants online “community feedback” on a new Biodiversity Conservation Plan by 5pm, Wednesday 20 February at: mornpen. vic.gov.au/haveyoursay
Costly roadside rubbish A rubbish dumper has been fined $3509 plus $420 costs for leaving “renovation materials” on a roadside at Tootgarook. Mornington Peninsula Shire says the fine levied by Dromana Court backs its “zero-tolerance approach” to illegal rubbish dumping. On 10 January, a peninsula resident was found guilty of aggravated littering, sentenced with conviction, fined $3509 and ordered to pay council’s $420 clean-up costs. The shire says the offender was “caught in the act unloading renovation materials from a trailer at a Tootgarook roadside”. Illegal dumping can incur penalties of up to $9500. “Council spends more than $700,000 at a cost to ratepayers a year cleaning up the mess left behind by illegally dumped waste and the shire has collected 1466 cases of illegal dumping in the past six months,” the mayor Cr David Gill said. “Most of this dumped waste could have been disposed of for free at the shire’s resource recovery centres in Tyabb, Mornington and Rye.” Cr Gill said dumped waste “poses a serious threat to our wildlife and can lead to contamination of land, waterways and groundwater”. “It’s not hard to do the right thing with a long list of items able to be disposed of for little or no cost at our resource recovery centres or use your rates vouchers to book a kerbside collection,” he said. Free items that can be dropped off at the centres include: household recyclables; steel goods (excluding fridges & air conditioners); bikes; computers; televisions; paint (up to 100 litres); gas cylinders (up to nine kilograms); motor oil (up to 20 litres); fluorescent globes and tubes and batteries. A full list of disposable items is at mornpen. vic.gov.au/wasteguide Peninsula households can also book a kerbside waste collection service by calling 5950 1406. Illegal rubbish dumpers can be reported at mornpen.vic.gov.au/dobinadumper or by calling 1300 850 600 or 5950 1000
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• Mornington • Rosebud • Seaford • Toorak Western Port News
13 February 2019
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