One of the best things in a Baykeeper's day is meeting people who happily walk the talk. So it was quite a buzz this week to see Ross Headifen install a litter trap which he designed for the stormwater outfall at Albert Park beach. Better … [Read more...]
Native sea star survival – what’s the odds?
Like most other seastars, Meridiastra calcar (aka Carpet Seastars, formerly Patiriella calcar) are slow movers and spend their whole life in localised areas. Their varied diet of algae, molluscs, detritus and dying animals provides a good living. But … [Read more...]
People power – best defence against pest seastars
Earthcare volunteers plucked around 5,000 pest seastars from St Kilda harbour today. The group has conducted similar culls since 2006, recording the numbers collected and their size. The aim is to gain a better understanding of the seastar … [Read more...]
Port Phillip Clean Beaches Coalition litter action
The Port Phillip Clean Beaches Coalition (of community groups and government agencies) mobilised a comprehensive clean-up of 11 km of foreshore in the City of Port Phillip on Clean Up Australia Day 2011. HUGE THANKS to all who took part in the … [Read more...]
Clean Beaches Coalition sets sail in St Kilda
In what could be a world first, a coalition of community groups and government agencies dedicated to eliminating litter on Port Phillip beaches was formed yesterday. The coalition is planning immediate action to comprehensively clean up all beaches … [Read more...]
Clean Up Australia Day – tackling the unnatural disaster
Congratulations to Ian Kiernan on the 20th 'Clean Up Australia Day', with 7,084 sites registered in 2010. Congratulations also to Carmel Wallace for her stunning works (exhibited at 101 Collins Street, Melbourne) made from litter collected from the … [Read more...]
Mystery mollusc at Point Lonsdale
Special thanks to all the kids, parents and others who took part in the Baykeeper shoreline shell surveys in January 2010. True to form, every beach was different, highlighting the wonderful diversity of species that live in the Bay. Each survey is a … [Read more...]
Wake up Australia, there’s a whole lotta litter goin’ on!
Litter in waterways is not just visual pollution. International studies have found fragments of plastic frequently mistaken for food by diving and surface-skimming seabirds. The Melbourne Parks & Waterways 'Tagged Litter Report' (1993) … [Read more...]
Find a shore thing on a beach near you
Most Australians remember fun days at the beach: beating the heat, building sand castles, catching frizbees and waves, and listening to the ocean in a seashell. Perhaps that's why it's called the Lucky Country! Thanks Douglas for sending the … [Read more...]
Tree hollows in demand at McRae foreshore
Port Phillip Bay has an incredible range of special places that are homes for a rich variety of plants and animals; and McCrae Homestead Coastal Group are a great example of the many community organisations that care for these habitats. And it's not … [Read more...]
HUMAN SIGN SPEAKS UP 4 KIDS
Months of painstaking planning paid off on Sunday May 17/09 as more than 5 thousand people put their body on St Kilda Beach to spell out a powerful message from an 11 year old schoolgirl (go Sophie!!!). The sign was around 350 metres long … [Read more...]
What shell shall we see at Chelsea?
With a name like Chelsea it just could be Shellsea. But not so! Beautiful, wide, white beach, cute little jetty, clear blue water, and no litter or seaweed, this DESIGNER BEACH is made in .....Chelsea. But apart from thousands of baby, glossy … [Read more...]
Point Cooke… worth a look!
Point Cooke Blues Festival was truly out of the blue! I had no idea it was on till I arrived for a shoreline survey. The festival organisers very kindly allowed us shell snoops in without paying. You gotta hand it to these people! Hot music … [Read more...]
