Launching our Summer Coasts and Communities eNews! If you experience any glitches with our eNews let us know so we can fix them, e-mail the Coastcare Team

Coastcare Activities

November 30 | Blacks Beach Spit | 9 - 10.30 am
Join Mackay Conservation Group on their next  'Beautiful Walk' with a stroll through Blacks Beach Spit.
Go to the Mackay Conservation Group Website to RSVP, and find out more.
Meet at the end of Pacific Drive at 8.45am.

December 6 | Bucasia | 
8.30 - 10 am
Join us as at our final Coastcare Activity for 2014, to remove invasive weeds from Bucasia Beach.
Meet at the boat ramp at the end of Bucasia Esplanade.

December 6 | Bucasia | 
10 - 11 am
Join us for a delicious morning tea to celebrate another year of Coastcare.

December 12 | Coastcare Survey closes
Our 'Coastcare in the Mackay Region Survey' will be open from Friday the 28th of November to Friday the 12th December. 
Complete your survey now to have a chance at winning a $100 voucher to Bridges Bar and Restaurant. 
Enter the survey HERE!

Image: Marlis Schoeb

Wader Count is in

The preliminary results for the Queensland Wader Study Group's biennial shorebird study are in with over 16,000 birds counted. Run over a weekend in early November, around 20 skilled observers took to 70 sites over the course of three days. By hitting the sites in quick succession the chances of birds moving between sites is greatly reduced, which means there is less chance of birds being counted twice making the count more accurate. 

The counts took place at high tide as shorebirds will congregate in dense flocks to rest and wait out the high tide in spots known as 'high tide roosts'. These roosts are not always in the most accessible of locations with some surveyors using boats to reach their sites. With boats, helicopters, and out of town observers, organising the event was a major undertaking, but worth the effort.   

The results from this years' count will be analysed against those from previous surveys (eight surveys in total) to investigate any potential trends in the numbers and species of migratory waders visiting our shores. A total of 15,471 migratory shorebirds were counted as part of the survey. Great Knots and Red-necked Stints were the two most numerous species observed (3,513 and 3,348, respectively), with the Bar-tailed Godwit (pictured above) coming in third with 1,796 birds counted. On the opposite end of the scale was the Red Knot with only two birds seen.

In addition to the migratory species 1,045 resident shorebirds were also counted, including 13 Beach Stone-Curlews which are listed as Vulnerable in Queensland. The  Red-capped Plover topped the list of resident birds with 313 counted. This little shorebird lays its tiny, camouflaged eggs above the high tide line in a nest which is little more than a scrape in the ground. 

To learn more about shorebirds, and the Queensland Wader Study Group, go to
http://www.waders.org.au

Do You Want to be a Butterfly Warrior?

Contributed by Butterfly Warriors 

Butterfly Warriors has gone from strength to strength this year, with their team of volunteers growing to 42 over the 30 clean-ups they have conducted at local beaches. Beaches such as Illawong, Town, Harbour, Lamberts, to name a few, have all benefited during 2014 thanks to Butterfly Warriors' efforts. With over 100 hours donated to cleaning our beaches this year, they are not done yet. Butterfly Warriors have big plans to continue spreading the word and increasing their army.

Butterfly Warriors are intending to apply for funding in 2015 to help them to further protect our beaches through the purchase of equipment needed for clean ups, and to help them to further promote their activities across the Mackay region. Special thanks goes to those who have helped them in this activities in 2014, especially Melissa Quattromani from Berry Inviting Design for developing the Butterfly Warriors logo, and providing support and print work free of charge. Thanks also goes to Reef Catchments Coastcare staff for their help in promoting activities. 

In addition to cleaning up our coast, Butterfly Warriors have also helped to improve the health and safety of their volunteers with their free self defence classes that form part of the Butterfly Warrior initiative, where classes are 'paid' for by participating in the clean ups. 

It is important that we all play a role in doing what we can to keep our beaches clean from litter that may enter the marine environment. The regular work and effort contributed by Butterfly Warriors plays an important part in the protection of our marine and coastal fauna.   

If you want to get involved with this great initiative e-mail Butterfly Warriors at freestylersdojo@live.com.au with the subject 'I want to be a Butterfly Warrior!'
And don't forget to like Butterfly Warriors on Facebook to keep up to date with their activities! 
Image: Mackay and District Turtle Watch Association

Tracking Turtles

Edited by Ken Griffin

Where do our female turtles go? That is the question being asked (and hopefully answered) by the Mackay and District Turtle Watch Association in partnership with James Cook University. A new project, funded by Mackay Regional Council's Natural Environment Levy, is seeing adult female Flatback Turtles (Natator depressus) fitted with satellite transmitters to find out where the female turtles that nest on Mackay's beaches go once they have laid their eggs. 

Four turtles will have transmitters fitted this season, with three having been attached so far. The names of the four turtles have been voted for by students at local GBRMPA Reef Guardian Schools with Matilda and Livia now sending back data to help us understand the movements of Flatback Turtles. Clancy and Mei-Kai will be turtles 3 and 4. 

The transmitters, which are fitted with a special webbing harness, will send back data for up to a year. Using satellite telemetry, the transmitters will relay information each time the receiver breaks the surface of the water when the turtles come up to breathe. This will allow the researchers to track their movements. If you want to see where the turtles have been since the transmitters have been fitted, head to the seaturtle.org website. 

This project will go a long way towards increasing the knowledge about the turtles that nest along our coastline, which in turn will help efforts to conserve these beautiful animals. 
Welcome Coastcarers!

Summer is upon us, and that means that Coastcare is winding up for the year. We would like to take the opportunity to thank the 155 volunteers that have donated 416 hours of their time attending Coastcare Activities during 2014. You have helped make our coast a better place. 

To help us improve our Coastcare Activities and Coasts and Communities nNews in 2015, we would greatly appreciate all readers taking the time to complete a quick and easy Coastcare in the Mackay Region survey (click to follow the link). By completing this easy survey by Friday the 12th of December, you will go in the draw to win a $100 voucher to Bridges Bar and Restaurant, overlooking the sparkling blue waters of the Pioneer River. The winner will be drawn randomly on Monday the 15th of December. 

We hope you all have a fantastic end to 2014, and we would love to see you at our Coastcare Activities in 2015.

From your Coasts and Communities team


Taking the time to check out the informative display material before the 'Turtle Talk and Beach Walk' at Ball Bay


Coastcare Spring Snapshot

The last three months have seen 67 Coastcare volunteers taking to Bucasia Beach, Ball Bay, Far Beach, and Blacks Beach Spit to remove invasive weeds, litter, and learn about local biodiversity.  
  • Volunteers - 178 hours have been donated by our amazing volunteers
  • Environmental education - 58 Coastcarers came along to learn about migratory waders at Far Beach, and marine turtles at Ball Bay
  • Invasive weeds - an area of around 2Ha hand pulled for invasive weeds 
  • Litter removal - 3,124 kilograms of litter was removed from ten beaches during the Mackay Coastal Clean Up
The stand out event was our wildly popular 'Turtle Talk and Beach Walk', which turned out to be far more in demand than anticipated with over 70 people sending in their RSVP's. Unfortunately we were unable to hold such a large event, but it was fantastic to see such an interest in marine turtles and we will certainly be looking at holding more events like this next year. 

We would like to thank everyone that helped out with Coastcare this Spring (and this year), especially all our volunteers who dedicate their time to care for the coast that we all use.

To read more and see pictures from our Spring Coastcare Activities (and earlier), visit www.reefcatchments.com.au/coastcare


Community members watching for waders at Far Beach


2014: a Year in Focus

Caring for our coast is a big job. In addition to the many members of the community who donate their time by volunteering, there are 17 organisations which are working together to maintain and improve the condition of our coast. 

It is thanks to this collaborative effort that we have been able to achieve the the outcomes that we have this year. 

The key achievements of 2014 include:
  • Invasive weeds managed in 557 hectares of coastal vegetation to promote native rehabilitation 
  • 275m of fencing installed to protect dune rehabilitation areas and determine access points
  • Maintenance of over 150 beach access tracks to provide safe and clear access to beaches
  • 58 beach access, and 54 foreshore signs installed
  • 19 Coastcare Activities held at 6 beaches across the Mackay Region
  • 155 volunteers donated 416 hours to Coastcare 
  • 6,680kg of litter removed from our beaches as part of the Mackay Coastal Clean Up
  • 2,330 native seedlings planted to replace removed weeds, stabilise the dunes, and provide future habitat
With the dunes being the buffer between the land and sea, their resilience plays a crucial role in protecting the coastline. Building on the future resilience of the dunes is a big part of the Program, as this will not only provide future habitat for native fauna and help to conserve valuable coastal ecosystems, but it will also provide a degree of protection for coastal infrastructure against storm events. 

The Coasts and Communities Program focusses on protecting and enhancing the natural environment values of the coast, in balance with improving the safety and amenity of these areas. The maintenance and construction of official access tracks reduces disturbance and erosion, whilst providing safer access to the beaches for all. The installation of signs make access points more visible for beach users, and their unique codes means emergency services know exactly where to go.  

The Coasts and Communities Program will develop and grow into the future as we not only continue to manage existing areas, but begin works at new sites across the region. We look forward to continuing to work with all our partner organisations, and developing relationships with new partners into 2015. 


Our Bucasia Coastcare site has come a long way this year. 


Hundreds Head to Beach to Clean Up

The second Mackay Coastal Clean Up for 2014, which took place over the weekend of the 18th and 19th of October, saw 329 volunteers take to the coast to remove litter from our coastline. Over the two days 3,124 kilograms of litter was removed from ten beaches.

This was the fifth Mackay Coastal Clean Up that Eco Barge Clean Seas have completed in partnership with BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA). Since the first clean up in October 2012 a total of 20,048 kilograms of litter has been removed from Mackay and Sarina beaches. The most common form of marine debris is plastic, which is not surprising, as due to its slow rate of decomposition every piece of plastic ever produced still exists. Though plastics break into smaller and smaller pieces, they are still present in our environment. A recent Australian study found 34% of dead turtles examined had ingested marine debris, mostly plastics. 

One of the more encouraging outcomes from the clean up was that the amount of litter removed from the coast was roughly half that of what was collected last year. With it being estimated that more than 6 million tonnes of litter makes its way into the world's oceans and seas each year, every effort needs to be made to reduce this figure. This year, a CSIRO study named Mackay as having the cleanest beaches in Queensland, so the efforts of Eco Barge Clean Seas, and everyone else involved in removing marine debris, are making a real difference.

Event organiser, Libby Edge of Eco Barge Clean Seas, believes events such as this give everyone a chance to play a part in preserving the health of the region's coastline and marine fauna for future generations. BMA HPK3 Project Director Francois Joubert said that BMA has been proud to support this event, and to see the number of community volunteers that have come out, yet again, to make a positive contribution to the local marine environment.

The next Mackay Coastal Clean Up is set to take place in May of 2015, once again targeting the southern beaches of the Mackay Region. To learn more about the Mackay Coastal Clean Up, and Eco Barge Clean Seas other initiatives, head to their website www.ecobargecleanseas.org.au 
 

Volunteers of all ages get involved with the Mackay Coastal Clean Up.
Image: Eco Barge Clean Seas 

Want to learn more about the
Coasts and Communities Program?
Visit our website, www.reefcatchments.com.au/coasts
 
The Coasts and Communities Program is a joint initiative of Mackay Regional Council and Reef Catchments with support from Mackay Regional Council's Natural Environment Levy and the Australian Government

         
Copyright © 2013 Reef Catchments all rights reserved.
reception@reefcatchments.com
www.reefcatchments.com.au