8 September 2010

More than 400 Townsville Reef Guardian students will swap books for garbage bags tomorrow as they prepare to take part in the Great Northern Catchment Clean Up Day, September 9. 

In partnership with Townsville City Council, six Reef Guardian Schools will clean areas surrounding rivers, beaches or parks that are located close to their school. 

Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) Reef Guardian Program Director Karen Vohland said it was another great opportunity for the Reef Guardian students to actively look after the environment. 

"With the Great Barrier Reef on our doorstep it is important the younger generation is educated in looking after our environment, which includes waste management," she said. 

"It is also an opportunity for the Reef Guardian schools to explore their catchment and work with the broader community to keep our region and the Reef clean." 

The Reef Guardian Schools program is an initiative of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and is run in the Townsville region in partnership with the natural resource management group NQ Dry Tropics. 

NQ Dry Tropics Acting CEO Scott Crawford said the event was a great reminder of the role everyone has to play in keeping our land and waterways clean. 

“Rubbish can pose a risk to animals on land, in our rivers, and on the Great Barrier Reef,” he said. 

“Not littering and picking up rubbish are simple things we can all do to help protect our native wildlife.”

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