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My beautiful lagoon

17/4/2018

7 Comments

 
​To some it's a stinking cesspit, but to local artist and printmaker Susan Hall, the ephemeral Inverloch lagoon is a place of environmental richness and artistic inspiration.
By Susan Hall

HIGH tides at Easter have broken through at last flushing out the Inverloch lagoon which has been sand-locked for many months.

This area has been a great source of inspiration for my recent art work. It is a haven for sea birds that feed on the fish trapped there. Last week I counted five pelicans fishing. Pied oyster catchers and native ducks are among the many species feeding on the abundance of food in the still water. The green seaweed I had previously photographed has dried out forming a fabric type of coating, draping its mesh-like fibres over the rocks as the tide flows out. It’s also a great subject for photography and drawings.

As the recent hot sun dried the seaweed coating on the rocks, it has begun to peel off like a second skin. There may be unpleasant aromas occasionally due to the breakdown and renewal of plant life and coastal regeneration, all part of life on our beautiful coast. Good winter rains and big tides will flush it out eventually.

In the meantime it is a great place to walk and observe nature.

In partnership with the West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority and EPA Victoria, the council has engaged a consultant to investigate options, including the cost and viability of artificially opening the lagoon to the ocean.
7 Comments
Anne Heath Mennell
20/4/2018 03:12:20 pm

Why is Council looking at artificially opening the lagoon? Is it just because some humans have complained about the smell of natural processes of decay and decomposition? What will that do to the birds and other species who find food in the lagoon or live in it? It is presumably part of a wider eco-system which has existed for a long time, certainly longer than human residents have been in the area. Around the world, wetlands (ephemeral and permanent) and boggy areas are disappearing rapidly, along with species that depend on them, such as frogs. We should be protecting and preserving such features and letting them be. We tear holes in the web of life to our peril.

Reply
Karen Sandon link
20/4/2018 03:54:19 pm

Well said Anne and well done Susan. Have we learned nothing from global warming? Can we never learn to live with the planet instead of insisting on knowing best? Perhaps we need the Phillip Island nature park to manage all Bass Coast environmental values. Let it be Council, let it be.

Reply
Robyn Smith
23/4/2018 07:37:23 pm

I agree with you all. Why interfere with our natural environment? let it be.

Reply
Kim Veness
26/4/2018 06:45:31 pm

I only see a natural decay process in these photos, no plastic bags or coke bottles! So I agree, let it be.....

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Anne Heath Mennell
27/4/2018 03:47:39 pm

I hope this article and the comments will be passed on to the consultant hired by Council?

Reply
Bass Coast Shire Council link
4/5/2018 03:18:39 pm

It's great to see the above comments! These have been noted by the Sustainable Environment team and passed on to the consultant who is undertaking the project. Please feel free to join us on Friday, 11 May 2018 for the Community walk and talk (9am – 10am) and workshop (10.15am – 12 noon) to share information about the lagoon and its history. This is an opportunity to discuss concerns and potential management options. We will meet at the pedestrian bridge over Ayr Creek on Surf Parade, Inverloch. for more details please visit our Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1610539005735544/

Reply
Yvonne McRae
6/5/2018 12:42:24 pm

Well said all! Why are we as homo sapiens intent on changing the natural world to our whims? The lagoon has been there before 'people' elected to build their houses nearby - remember caveat emptor.. We are hell bent on destroying the Web of Life that everyone - humans, flora fauna etc. depends on. Remember the adage 'There is no Planet B'.
Yvonne McRae

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