this section is about Encounter Bay Victor Harbor South Australia where my family's ancestors were settlers and builders of the community.

the Schuyler family contributed to building the Tabernacle church in 1846. they were part of the first settlers of 1839.

Encounter Bay is now famous for tourism and the visiting southern right whales.

according to 'Coastal Conflicts' book by Mark Manuel et al Middleton Beach, Waitpinga Beach and Sir Richard Peninsula are the most environmentally sensitive sites. where people try to get a good look at the whales they risk damaging sensitive native vegetation that sits in the loose sandy dunes. Sir Richard Peninsula is where the Murray Mouth is located where sensitive native fish species live in the mix of the fresh water and salty ocean water. It's an area that has needed constant management due to silt build up that can block the mouth.

communities have worked on native revegetation work in the area to protect the sandy dunes from erosion.

In 1991 a letter was published in The Advertiser regarding Adelaide's beaches. It was written by Mr John Sandover of Somerton Park (I wonder if that is a real name) anyway he was writing about erosion and loss of sand on the beach. Many local people were upset over the movement of sand due to disruption to the beach and noise etc. A spokesperson from Department of Environment advised at the time that if no work was done then the beaches would turn to bare rock and stone within 20 years.
During this time the public were on side to protect the beaches.
It's 2020 and we now have pipelines on some beaches and further work on pipes is under construction. However, the problem is this is a short term fix and it's expensive.
the beaches have narrowed and dunes have been lost. West Beach in particular is subject to erosion due to infrastructure built for boats.
I would love to see more native vegetation planting programs instigated by the government to protect the sand dunes and protect erosion as a more long-term protection.
Sea level rise is another issue we will be dealing with and funds will be needed to protect the cliffs along Port Noarlunga and Seaford and further south as storms come in and erode the bottom part of the cliffs leading to collapse.


Ref: Manuel, M., McElroy, B., Smith, R., 1995 'Coastal Conflicts' Cambridge.
 Many artists work to raise awareness of our environmental responsibilities. Marlo Goldsworthy is a fabulous illustrator that educates on climate change and the environment. Her artwork below illustrates the devastating effects of climate change with melting glaciers adding to sea level rise.
Glaciers melting on Antarctica contribute to sea level rise due to melting from , Antarctica is a large continent. ice melt from the arctic does not contribute to sea level rise however, it  has effect on the atmosphere and weather systems due to changes in the thermocline where salt water is heavier than fresh water and this density difference keeps the water currents overturning and moving warm and cold waters around the globe.
this next section is about the bird life you might find around Encounter Bay
Picture
Australian Birds by Robin Hill