Tangaroa Blue is Caring for Our Country at Mapoon

Volunteers from Mapoon Land and Sea Rangers, Conservation Volunteers Australia, GhotsNets Australia and Tangaroa Blue spent 5 days removing 3687kg of rubbish from Mapoon Back Beach. Along with 2563 gill net floats (that you can buy from them), 877 cigarette lighters they also collected 7154 orphan thongs - smashing the Cape York record.

Did the all the debris go to landfill? Nope. Eight silo bags of plastic were diverted from landfill, compacted and sent to Brisbane for recycling. Several other organisations worked cooperatively with the group. To find out more you can be inspired by reading the whole article here on the Tangaroa Blue website.

Congratulations to all volunteers and partner organisations for a spectacular effort!
Thanks also to Caring for Our Country for providing funding assistance.

Teachers wishing to incorporate Marine Stormwater Pollution into their teaching plans can visit AUSMEPA's website here.

www.ausmepa.org.au

SOUTH AUSTRALIA DUNE CARE SEMINAR 19TH MARCH 2013

If you are in South Australia on Tuesday March 19th you might enjoy this Dune Care Seminar but be sure to book in early as seating is limited.


Marine Discovery Centre, (MDC), 416 Seaview Rd,Henley Beach 

Program

• 9.30am  Welcome & Introduction

• 9.45am  Overview of the MDC and current coastal issues

• 10.25am Ms Elaine Facchino from NGS Super

• 10.30am Morning Tea - provided

• 10.50am Ms Heidi Taylor from the Tangaroa Blue Foundation - Australian Marine Debris Initiative: Presentation. Marine Trail including litter survey

• 12.00 noon Mr Rata Luckens & Mr Garry Griffiths: NRM Officers: MDC Dune area. What’s happening? What are we aiming to achieve?

• 12.30pm Lunch - provided

• 1.00pm Heidi – continued      Analysing Data Sheets: How can they be incorporated into existing Dune Care/Marine Trail activities?
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• 1.30pm MDC Marine Scientists: Ms Nicole Mertens. Stormwater & sediment analysis - link between catchment and coastal issues
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• 2.00pm Mr Carl Charter - Feril or Peril? explores both marine pests and species of conservation concern. Resources are available - including website, ID cards, posters and a booklet 

Please R.S.V.P. to Ursula by Thursday 14th March 2013
via email: UQuack-Weatherley@star.catholic.edu.au or ph: 8356 8943




www.ausmepa.org.au

TURTLE CARE, Sunshine Coast

Friday 25 March 2011, Kawana, Queensland  7:30pm

Tonight a dedicated little group hurriedly gathered to watch as one little head after the other emerged out of the loose sand like tiny submarines rising to the surface of the dry sand. Neither foxes or other hungry land hunters had been able to disturb the Loggerhead turtle nest once the Turtle Care volunteers had moved the eggs to a safer place and secured it with a safety mesh several weeks ago. Tonight the young turtles had burst from their eggs for their epic and potentially treacherous flight to the sea. These were the lucky ones.

Looking like little rowboats the hatchlings started flying down the run-way that had been built earlier -  guided on each side by gutter mesh.. 

Younger volunteers at this particular birthday party were tasked with counting how many of the baby reptiles passed the last line of dune grasses. They then helped the grownups make sure that a muted light was there to draw them down to the water's edge.

The challenge tonight was to keep the babies aimed toward the ocean instead of the fireworks that appeared to the east and the lights of the apartment buildings and other structures beyond the dunes. 

Clutches vary along the Sunshine Coast with generally four different turtles types in any year and not returning again for two or more years afterwards. Most of the babies this year will be male.

Here is another little turtle that got lucky earlier this summer when it wandered into a kitchen only to be saved by Alex and returned to where it belonged. Clearly an exception to the look, don't touch rule of thumb (or flipper as the case may be).

For more information on Turtle Care click here

For more information on Australian Turtles click here

For fun facts on an exclusively Aussie Sea Turtle click here

To learn more about how to keep our oceans clean for our wonderful turtles visit AUSMEPA and view general information and teacher notes on ocean health issues like  stormwater pollution, climate change, marine pests and threats by clicking here.