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We live in exciting times. BIEPA's membership is growing, our agenda spreading, our networks developing, and our to-do list extending.
Members who have been faithfully contributing to BIEPA over years have given me a lot of feedback in the last few months. Like me, perhaps your head is spinning. As we lead up to our AGM in May it's useful to review our progress.
In 2022-23 we've started a lot of new initiatives:
We organised the creation of a "Giant Turtle" human sculpture on Woorim Beach to raise awareness of the need to protect nesting turtles, which gained us a lot of positive community vibes and is likely to become an annual "signature" event.
Our BITT team continues to monitor and protect nests, including a smart turtle nest guardians initiative on 26th Jan, which again helped to get beach drivers on our side.
A joint BIEPA/OzFish oyster reef restoration program in Pumicestone Passage is aimed at helping improve marine habitat and water quality in the Bay.
Our Backyard Biodiversity working group is exploring options to establish wild nature strips, and encourage gardeners on Bribie to plant for nature.
Our marine clean-up teams have been working hard to remove and catalogue rubbish on our beaches, reporting results so that point sources can be identified and addressed.
Our trees & vegetation crew are tending to our Jubilee tree planting project, and liaising with Council to develop future initiatives.
We held a successful community forum to explore ways to create more economically valuable and environmentally sustainable nature-based tourism.
We are conducting research into the impact of beach driving, and speaking up when needed regarding problematic development applications.
We partnered with key organisations to hold a landmark "Changing the Narrative" event on 26th January, recognising the wisdom of indigenous culture when it comes to caring for country and this island in particular.
We even hosted a concert at the Bribie RSL, and will do so again on 7th May, to raise funds and raise awareness in the community.
In the meantime our BIEPA market team have been engaging directly with the community to spread our message.
This is just a glance at a sample of the growing number of BIEPA initiatives. As members of BIEPA we are all engaged in very important work. We are transforming public awareness, so the future looks more optimistic.
At our February meeting we will present our proposed Strategic Plan, the result of an evolving process which helps us all see where we fit and how we maximise our impact. This will clarify how we'll structure BIEPA so that members can get involved without getting overwhelmed. With more members participating and contributing we can continue to build momentum.