Sea Shelter’s Marsh Road Mangrove Clean-Up Nelson Bay (Tomaree Peninsula areas) Port Stephens News by News Of The Area - Modern Media - April 24, 2019 Ryan Pereira with visual artist Matt Johnstone and Lia Pereira showcasing “Agutfull” the shark – representing just three percent of the waste collected at the first Marsh Road Clean-Up by Sea Shelter. IT’S on again. Modern Media: Advertise with News Of The Area and you get your ad in 1) in Print, 2) on the News Website (like this ad), and 3) on our Social Media news site. A much more efficient way to advertise. Reach a HUGE audience for a LOW price TODAY! Call us on 02 4983 2134. Or media@newsofthearea.com.au Or CLICK FOR ADVERT QUOTE After a successful clean-up of the mangroves on Marsh Road, Sea Shelter is donning their gum boots, and gloves once again to pick out the plastic and other waste that has been thrown out of car windows and washed down into the mangroves. The next Sea Shelter clean-up will be held on 4 May on Marsh Road at Bob’s Farm. Lia Pereira one of the founders of Sea Shelter said, “Last year we literally pulled out truckloads!” 2.9 Tonnes of rubbish was removed by volunteers in just five hours. The rubbish was made up of 11,163 plastic items and 6,936 other items with 34 tyres pulled out of the muddy ground, enough car parts to build a car, 4050 broken or complete alcohol bottles, 187 roadside reflectors or pieces of, 27 bongs, 2390 plastic food packaging, 699 plastic drink bottles, 191 straws, 9 hub caps, 933 full plastic bags and a whopping 2922 pieces of plastic bags Lia is hopeful that more people will volunteer to help and that an even greater amount of rubbish will be removed from the fragile habitat. Mangroves are the home to an entire eco-system of wildlife, one which feeds the adjacent rivers and bays. The mangrove environment is the nursery area for fish and they form a vital part of a healthy waterway. Port Stephens Council is aiding the clean=up by providing the traffic lights but the not for profit Sea Shelter is paying for manning the lights to ensure that all volunteers are safe during the clean-up. The organisation has been raising funds at Bunnings BBQ’s at Taylors Beach and would appreciate any support. Sea Shelter has also conducted clean-ups within the Nelson Bay marina and break wall areas with divers. “Please invite your friends and come along to help, we need all the help we can get,” she said. By Marian SAMPSON
