Have your say on how MidCoast Council will work to protect our waterways from a range of threats over the next ten years.
Council is developing a Southern Estuaries Coastal Management Program to identify and manage issues impacting lakes, lagoons and river systems from Wallabi Point to Karuah River.
MidCoast estuaries are facing a range of different issues including climate change, lack of community stewardship, agricultural impacts, aquaculture and commercial fishing, loss of coastal wetlands, changes to estuary entrances, impacts to human health, flooding and inundation, recreational impacts, threats to biodiversity and habitat, loss of cultural heritage, land use planning, erosion and sediment control, and stormwater and litter.
The program aims to create a long-term plan that will set the direction for the future of our estuaries. The program will outline required actions to manage these threats and protect the environment.
"We know that estuaries are some of our region's biggest assets and are well loved by the community because of their social, cultural, recreational, economic and environmental importance,' said MidCoast Council's Natural Systems Manager, Gerard Tuckerman.
"We encourage everyone to be informed and get involved in protecting our waterways,' said Mr Tuckerman.
Visit the Southern Estuaries Coastal Management Program's Have Your Say page to learn more about each of the issues, their impact on our estuaries, what we are already doing to manage them, and what else we can do.
Provide your feedback about which management solutions you believe are the best choices for our estuaries.
Your feedback will be used to prioritise the options in the Southern Estuaries Coastal Management Program.
Look out for our team visiting estuary foreshores during the school holidays or see us at a drop-in session. Chat with our friendly staff who can help you access the information and provide feedback on:
- Tuesday 29 April at the Forster Civic Centre from 3pm to 7pm
- Wednesday 30 April at Pacific Palms Foreshore (near the Recky) from 1pm to 5pm
- Tuesday 6 May at Myall Quays Shopping Centre (near Coles) Tea Gardens from 1pm to 5pm
- Tuesday 13 May at Hallidays Point Shopping Centre (near Foodworks) from 1pm to 5pm.
Have your say by Thursday 22 May at https://haveyoursay.midcoast.nsw.gov.au/oursouthernestuaries.
This project is supported by the NSW Government through its Coast and Estuary Program.
Under the NSW Coastal Management Act 2016, Council must prepare and implement coastal management programs to help protect the social, environmental and economic values of our coast now and into the future.
Council is currently developing several coastal management programs to outline actions required to protect our estuaries and coast.
These management programs will help maintain and improve water quality and estuary health, as well as support the community's economic, social and cultural values.
