At West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority, we love all the rivers that are the lifeblood flowing through our region and ask everyone to share some affection for rivers this Valentines Day by helping to keep them clean and healthy. 

“We are proud to care for 40,000 kilometres of designated waterways across the catchment of West Gippsland all flowing to the Victorian coast – into the world renowned Gippsland Lakes, Corner Inlet or directly into Bass Strait and the Southern Ocean,” said Martin Fuller, CEO of West Gippsland CMA.  

“Everything that happens along these waterways has an impact further downstream affecting the health of wildlife, rivers, wetlands and coastal areas.” 

The CMA delivers programs for healthy and resilient rivers and catchments including protecting threatened species, removing weeds, fencing and revegetating rivers, recovering from floods, delivering water for the environment to bring rivers back towards their natural flows, restoring wetlands and working with farmers to be at the forefront of sustainable agriculture and prepare for the impacts of climate change.   

“We are incredibly proud of the work we are a part of alongside Traditional Owners, partners, landholders and community – from picking up a piece of rubbish through to planting one tree or ten thousand or adopting new agricultural practices – every action is important and appreciated.” 

“There have been some recent examples of litter being dumped along West Gippsland’s waterways which is disappointing and unnecessary so we ask everyone to take a few simple steps to protect the rivers we all love to visit and live near.”  

It’s pretty simple to take a few steps towards being a river lover:  

• Join your local Landcare group that provides a wealth of knowledge and tools to get you started.
• Always put litter in the bind and recycle and reuse whenever possible
• Swap plastics out of your life as much as you can – find a safer and healthier alternative
• Keep up to date with workshops, grants, sustainable farming incentives and landholder programs available by signing up to our Catchment Snapshot e-news and socials.

“Every little bit of love we can show for rivers adds up to a more healthy and resilient home for wildlife, agriculture and the West Gippsland community to live in and enjoy.”