Emily Larkin

Join ReefClean’s 2022 Great Barrier Reef Clean-up!

Emily Larkin

Join ReefClean’s Great Barrier Reef Clean-up!

Are you a citizen scientist who is concerned about the health of the Great Barrier Reef? Maybe a school or community group who would like to monitor the health of the Great Barrier Reef? Or are you a  member of the local government, and would like to lead by example by becoming actively involved in contributing to the overall health of one of the most biologically diverse environments on this planet? Well then continue reading!

This October marks the start of our month-long series of events that focus on looking after our Reef. Tangaroa Blue Foundation, through the ReefClean Project is calling all ocean lovers to participate in the Great Barrier Reef Clean-Up. A number of flagship events will be held over the course of the month – stay tuned for these locations!

 To volunteer at a Flagship location, please click here.

This coming October will be our fourth year coordinating the Great Barrier Reef Clean-Up month! Ocean lovers from all over the GBR have generously contributed just over 9,000 hours of their time which has resulted in just under 14 tonnes of debris removed during previous years events.

The Great Barrier Reef Clean-Up is not limited to these flagship events, so make sure you monitor our events for more opportunities to get involved! The program also invites groups to adopt and register their own coastal or waterway sites to be cleaned throughout the month, so if you know of a site in your area that needs attention, we encourage you to register that site and get a group together.

Click here to register your own site.

ReefClean is funded by the Australian Government’s Reef Trust and delivered by Tangaroa Blue Foundation in partnership with AUSMAP, Capricornia Catchments, Eco Barge Clean Seas, Reef Check Australia, and South Cape York Catchments.

Join the Great Barrier Reef Clean-up today!

Emily Larkin

We’re Hiring! Project Coordinator – Sydney

Emily Larkin

Title: Project Coordinator – SYDNEY
Location: Remotely from home & on-ground in sydney. casual

Tangaroa Blue Foundation is an Australia-wide not-for-profit organisation dedicated to the removal and prevention of marine debris: one of the major environmental issues worldwide. We do this by removing what’s already out there, stopping the flow of litter into the ocean and reducing the amount of waste produced.

The Project Coordinator role supports the Management team in the successful delivery of Tangaroa Blue projects, provides expertise and knowledge associated with the Australian Marine Debris Initiative (AMDI) Database data collection and entry and provides on the ground support, problem-solving and solutions.

About the role

No two days will be the same. One day you might be on the ground delivering clean-up events or site assessing throughout Sydney, the next developing or reporting on source reduction projects.

Overall you will be responsible for supporting the organisation, delivery and reporting of project activities. You will need to effectively communicate activity status and submit all required documentation to management for reporting and collaborate with project partners and volunteers to deliver activity outcomes in a respectful and professional manner.

This is a casual role, working remotely from home.

About you

  • You have a keen interest in environmental stewardship, including minimising the impact of marine debris on marine and human life across fresh or saltwater country.
  • With at least 18 months of experience in project management, you are capable of supporting and delivering on-ground projects and coordinating volunteers.
  • You’re just as comfortable getting your hands dirty in the field as you are in the office.

Specifically, you have:

  • Current First Aid and CPR certificates;
  • Blue Card or Working with Children Check;
  • Computer literacy in the Google suite; and a dedicated home office (including laptop/PC and mobile phone);
  • A full drivers licence and car.

While not necessary, applicants with public speaking, data collection and reporting or knowledge of and experience in working with culturally diverse groups will be highly regarded.

How to apply:

Send your cover letter and CV to emily@tangaroablue.org to apply.

Date published: 18-March-2022

Heidi

Tackling Fishing Waste With New Rig Recycle Bins

Heidi

The Rig Recycle concept was developed by Tangaroa Blue Foundation and is an initiative of ReefClean. It was developed to help overcome issues such as pollution from discarded fishing gear, while also reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill.

In an Australian first, it is now possible to recycle your unwanted fishing tackle at all Queensland BCF – Boating, Camping, Fishing stores through a new recycling pilot.

Tangaroa Blue Foundation in partnership with fishing conservation charity OzFish Unlimited  launched the program together with BCF who are opening their doors for recreational fishers to bring in their old, unwanted or recovered fishing tackle and dispose of it in purpose-built Rig Recycle bins.

Read more “Tackling Fishing Waste With New Rig Recycle Bins”

Emily Larkin

ReefClean Mural at Causeway Lake a success – Fishing Tackle Litter reduced by 80%

Emily Larkin

Capricornia Catchments partnered with Tangaroa Blue through the ReefClean Program along with Livingstone Shire Council to engage local artists Martin Schlick from Mash Designs and emerging artist Rebecca Johnston to create educational murals for the Causeway Lake Buildings.

The murals aim at reducing fishing tackle pollution at Causeway Lake. With help from BirdLife Capricornia, these murals highlight the significant, rare, and sensitive wildlife that relies on the area and the impact litter and fishing tackle litter has on wildlife.

In conjunction with the artwork, several clean-ups in the area were undertaken to collect data and monitor the effectiveness of the mural on users’ litter behaviour.

 

 

 

 

 

Results show that there has been a significant reduction in litter and marine debris volume. Fishing tackle specific litter has reduced by 80% and general litter showed a major decrease of 49% overall.

Capricornia Catchments also received anecdotal feedback from community members saying that they have noticed a positive difference in the cleanliness of the Causeway Lake recreational area.

Overall successful results in reducing litter at the Causeway Lake recreational area through the combination of artwork, collaboration and community involvement. However, ongoing work is still needed in the area.

This project would not have been possible without the ongoing support from Livingstone Shire Council, the Regional Artist Development Fund, Tangaroa Blue Foundation and ReefClean.

ReefClean is funded by the Australian Governments Reef Trust and delivered by Tangaroa Blue Foundation.

Heidi

Rubber Crumb Loss from GBR Play Areas

Heidi

Many play areas have soft fall surfaces made of recycled rubber tyres applied as small pieces of crumb (1-5 mm in size). The use of rubber crumb in playgrounds and synthetic sports fields has been around for over a decade, although there has been a recent increase in investment in this product to try and deal with the more than 48 million tyres reaching end of life every year in Australia.

Rubber crumb and the chemicals associated with these (e.g. metals, PAHs, tyre anti degradants), however, have been found in international studies to leach into waterways and cause harm to aquatic life. Limited information exists on the potential loss and impacts associated with local sites and with the Great Barrier Reef considered a sensitive ecosystem, a focus on this region was considered a priority.

As part of the ReefClean project, Tangaroa Blue Foundation and AUSMAP developed a source reduction plan to quantify the amount of rubber crumb escaping from playground surfaces, and work with councils to identify ways to reduce the loss of rubber crumb into the Great Barrier Reef.

The full report is available here.

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