From our blog

Estuary Care Guidebook

Jan 26, 2016

Dear Estuary Care Members,

The estuaries are the heartbeat of Kenton-on-Sea and Bushmans River.They are the reasons we choose to live here. They provide beauty, fun, income, and of course natural resources. The Kariega and the Bushmans estuaries are recreational playgrounds to residents and visitors as well as vital nesting and feeding environments for aquatic animals and support a rich diversity of plants. With your help, Sustainable Seas Trust (SST) hopes to illustrate the beauty and many benefits of the Kariega and Bushmans estuaries by creating a guidebook to tell their stories. The book will demonstrate how the estuaries function, show their beauty, explore the animals and plants that maintain the ecosystems and show how people like you enjoy the estuaries. It will also provide guides as to what we should each do to not only maintain the beauty, but improve estuary experiences for everyone.

SST encourages you to use this opportunity to help create the book. We would love to have access to your photographs, anecdotes, suggestions and survey responses. Here is how you can get involved:

  1. Participate in our online questionnaire.
    Tell us how you use and care for the Bushmans and/or Kariega estuaries! Simply follow this link to complete the questionnaire. Answer the questions as they appear on your screen then click continue followed by submit at the bottom of the page once the survey is complete:
    http://goo.gl/forms/uBehXVkEUJ.
  2. Submit photographs.
    Send us your photographs of animals, plants, scenery and human activities (e.g. family fun, skiing, angling) on the estuaries as well as historic photographs. Your photos should be print quality, preferably 1 Megabyte in size or more, and sent as .jpg. By submitting your photos, your contributions could feature on our website, Facebook page, and possibly the Estuary Guidebook.
  3. Submit written anecdotes, memories or descriptions of changes you have seen along the estuaries.
  4. Submit suggestions or comments on changes you would like to see or proposed management options for our estuaries.

All submissions, questions, recommendations, photographs andanecdotes should be sent to Shauna Curran (shauna@sst.org.za).

This book will show what makes the two estuaries so vital and unique to the area. Specifically, it will feature the biology and functioning of the estuaries as well as the people who use and depend on them, you! The book will also include suggested guidelines to help manage the estuaries in order to keep them healthy and beautiful. By telling the stories of the estuaries, including your stories, we hope to inspire appreciation for and proper management and conservation of our local treasures.

This will be one of many published books created by Sustainable Seas Trust, our latest being South African Coasts: A Celebration of our Seas and Shores. A book created to celebrate the launching of South African Hope Spots, special people oriented marine conservation areas, by displaying outstanding photographs and engaging essays from leading conservationists, researchers, explorers, adventurers, journalists and others whose lives are intimately associated with the seas. To learn more or to purchase our latest published book (and by so doing contribute to the Kenton Education Trust Fund) contact our info account: info@sst.org.za.

Thank you so much for your interest in and contribution to the estuary guidebook!

The SST Team

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