From the Mayor’s desk: Cr Leah Anderson

THE natural beauty of our beaches is a big part of what makes Port Stephens such a great place to live.

We’ve just come off a busy summer where tens of thousands of people spent time on our shores, and it was great to see so many people enjoying our region.

However, that much activity across our coastline means there is work to do once the peak season ends.

Keeping our beaches beautiful doesn’t happen by accident.

It stays that way because of the pride people take in this area.

We saw this firsthand at the Take 3 for the Sea workshop at Birubi and our local Clean Up Australia Day events.

Seeing so many people get involved was a great reminder of why this is such a special place to live.

These initiatives show how small actions add up.

Whether it is a large-scale community working bee or simply taking three pieces of rubbish with us each time we visit the beach, we can prevent plastic from ending up in the ocean and harming wildlife.

These local efforts go hand in hand with the long-term work Council is delivering.

One of our priorities is to look after our waterways and especially the Inner Port, and this is where our Coastal Management Program (CMP) comes in.

The CMP is in place to handle the bigger jobs, like sand nourishment to prevent erosion, dune stabilisation, and improving our drainage to stop litter and runoff from washing into our waterways.

By combining the community spirit we’ve seen at the Take 3 for the Sea and Clean Up Australia Day with these long-term actions, we’re working together to stay on top of the challenges our beaches face.

By Mayor Leah ANDERSON