16 October 2007
The Watson Creek Integrated Catchment Management (ICM) Project has just received a $28,834 Envirofund grant from the Federal Government to conduct a range of activities related to the creek and its receiving waters, Yaringa Marine National Park.
The project, which was started nearly a year ago, aims to improve the water quality of Watson Creek, which is currently rated as one of the worst polluted creeks in Victoria.
"This money will greatly increase our ability to effectively improve water quality for the creek," says project officer Virginia Richardson.
The grant application addressed a large range of activities, including commissioning underwater photos in Yaringa Marine National Park; testing the creek; holding workshops and field training days; a boat trip; and the production of a directory-style booklet which will help property owners in the catchment find ways to manage their sections more sustainably.
"This is an issue that we all need to take ownership of," says Ms Richardson. "And we are not targeting one farm or one section of the community. We know that pollution comes as much from towns and roadsides as it does from farms and industrial areas. It’s no good blaming one section of society when we all drive cars, we all eat food grown in the area, and we all consume things that create undesirable waste products somewhere along the line."
The project, which is managed by the Mornington Peninsula and Western Port Biosphere Reserve Foundation, aims to demonstrate that ownership of environmental degradation and conservation is shared by everyone. The foundation is keen to educate people about the impacts of our modern way of life, and the Watson Creek ICM project is an example of how one issue — a polluted creek — has links to social, economic and cultural factors, as well as environmental ones.
"If we don’t have a healthy environment, then the economy won’t last very long, and if our economy isn’t robust, then our social and cultural lives suffer. It is ultimately all connected," says Ms Richardson, who is also a firm believer in the need to create a globally sustainable future.
© Mornington Peninsula & Western Port Biosphere Reserve Foundation Ltd 2012