Community
22 November, 2024
Award for Friends of Griffiths Island
A PORT Fairy community group has taken out a highly coveted Victorian Marine and Coastal Award.
The ‘Friends of Griffiths Island’ were recently named outright winners in the category of Inspiring Community Engagement and Education for its ‘Switch off for Shearwaters’ light pollution management plan.
The award was presented to volunteers during a ceremony held at Melbourne’s Docklands earlier this month.
“We were extremely thrilled and humbled to take out the award,” group secretary Robynne Mauger said.
“Our whole community got behind our campaign by turning off their external lights, and Moyne shire Council also turned off non-essential lights at the rotunda and around Martins Point.”
The light switch-off event was an initiative of group member and local science teacher, Tracey Gray.
“The Friends of Griffiths Island got behind Tracey’s campaign by distributing material, designed by students from Port Fairy Consolidated School, to every household in the town.
“Members also put up flags and signs around town to fully inform the community on how it could assist.”
According to Ms Mauger, the campaign has had a 100 per cent success rate for fledglings this year.
“No disoriented birds were found in or around Port Fairy,” she said.
“We will replicate the project in 2025 because the plight of the short-tailed shearwaters is dire.
“Numbers are reducing because of warming waters impacting food supplies, predator attacks from foxes and ravens, people trampling over burrows and predation by foxes and ravens.”
Ms Mauger encouraged everyone to do all they could to assist the fledgling birds.
