Turn Up, Pick Up & Help Keep Airlie Beautiful

A state-wide ReefBlitz clean up is coming to the Whitsundays next Wednesday.

Eco Barge, Conservation Volunteers Australia, and the Green Army invites you to help protect the Great Barrier Reef by joining the land-based clean-up.

This event is part of ReefBlitz 2017 which is an annual event showcasing coastal and reef citizen science programs that empower the community. These programs collect information to help communities learn about and take local action in improving the resilience of Queensland’s reefs.

October is the anniversary month of when the Great Barrier Reef was declared a World Heritage Area in 1981. To acknowledge this milestone, more than 30 ReefBlitz events are being held throughout October across the state.

Eco Barge project coordinator, Fiona Broadbent said it was a great opportunity for locals to take an active role in doing something positive for the Whitsunday environment.

“This clean-up event is open to the public and we encourage the community to attend and do their bit to protect our reef from the threats of marine debris. More hands make lighter work, and with the help from the Green Army we hope to have a great turnout,” she said.

The target area for this event will be from PCYC in Jubilee Pocket to Port of Airlie Marina, this location is a hotspot for local litter and if not removed this litter will wash into the ocean via the creeks and stormwater drains.

Once the litter is removed, we will conduct a count and sort to record what types of litter we have found to report to Tangroa Blue’s Australian Marine Debris Initiative database to help identify solutions to litter before it ends up on our coasts and oceans.

Source: Whitsunday Times.