May 23 2012
None of the students who painted dugongs and salmon on Roebuck Primary School’s footpaths today got in trouble. On the contrary, they have their photos in the paper, because the turquoise logo they painted on paths next to the school’s drains has an important community message – Keep Our Bay Clean.
With Roebuck Bay experiencing worsening algal blooms of Lyngbya most years since 2005, the school has got into a Keep Our Bay Clean project being run by Roebuck Bay Working Group and Yawuru Rangers. The key message for Broome is that if our community can reduce nutrients and pindan from entering Broome’s stormwater drains, we have a good chance of stopping destructive algal blooms in Roebuck Bay.
The nutrients that are the main culprits are nitrogen and phosphorous which are in many fertilisers, detergents, garden waste, wastewater and animal faeces. Another food source for algal blooms is our pindan soil, which contains high levels of iron and some phosphorous. Whilst research is urgently needed to confirm the cause of algal blooms, action is needed now to reduce the amount of nutrients and pindan entering Roebuck Bay through our stormwater drains.
The students who are on the Environment team, meet weekly to carry out projects such as drain stencilling. Lead by by Principal Peter Jones, Roebuck Bay Working Group Coordinator Kandy Curran and Yawuru Rangers Jason Richardson and Domanic Matsumoto, these keen students plan to paint stencils on drain inlets throughout Roebuck Estate.
As a result of the project children will be coming home from school full of ideas about how your family can stop pollution reaching Roebuck Bay, thereby reducing the chance of Lyngbya blooms. If you want to be one step ahead of them in Lyngbya awareness, check out our new program on Lyngbya and read a list of simple tips to Keep Our Bay Clean: In Your Home, In Your Garden, In Your School and In Your Neighbourhood »
Roebuck Bay Working Group is comprised of Traditional Owners and government, local community, conservation groups and business. We work collaboratively to solve issues, raise awareness and encourage research and monitoring which supports responsible management and protection of Roebuck Bay.
Roebuck Bay Working Group Inc.: Protection and advocacy of Roebuck Bay's outstanding natural and cultural values.
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