MANY HANDS MAKE LIGHT WORK
SCOTT THOMSON
Over the course of Easter Saturday over 100 residents of Great Brak River and surrounds came together to tackle two major factors negatively influencing our coastline and estuary system. These being litter build-up along the coastline and algae build-up within the closed estuary system.
This clean-up initiative was well attended, especially by the youngsters of the town. This was in no small part due to the Easter Bunny handing out Easter eggs in exchange for trash and nurdles brought back from the beach. Once consolidated and compacted a total 10 full bags of litter were collected. Despite the hard work ahead of them, the algae removal teams were enthusiastic and came with ropes, boats, rakes, canoes and tackled the algae with gusto. It was a pleasure to witness a community of people coming together to help take ownership of a problem. At the end of the day a visible difference could be seen in areas that were cleared. It was a massive and impressive effort by all involved.
If one considers the scale of the algae a lot more still needs to be done and hopefully a more permanent and effective solution will be found in the future. Whilst our efforts on Easter will help us understand the issue and the estuary better moving forward, the main lesson we can learn is ultimately the same as for the trash on the beach. Prevention is far easier, better and more manageable on an individual level than trying to climb an ever-growing mountain. Our estuary and river face numerous challenges. Whether it be trash, algae, or our own preconceptions, a mountain is always easier climbed together within a group of passionate individuals.
At the time of writing, Great Brak River Conservancy is working with authorities to get the go ahead for more events and perhaps a more long-term solution. Please attend the AGM (details below) to become part of this and other conservation initiatives.
The wooden rake design shown in the photo was made by a local resident and proved to be one of the more efficient and effective methods on the day. If you are able to copy this design (6 inch nails were used to form a “rake”) and make more of these tools it would be of great benefit to future events. Please contact scottjonathanthomson@gmail.com if you would like to be a part of this project.
