Monday, October 11, 2010

An Article on Penguins Too Good to Miss

Penguin's in Serious Danger

For many residents, the plight of the penguins in Manly is not new news as the battle continues to protect fragile habitats and nesting sites at the Wharf and Federation Point, by the aquarium.

Thursday evening and I, like many other local residents, volunteer my time to talk to Manlyites and visitors alike to inform and educate on the plight of a fragile community of little penguins who share the beach and Wharf with hundreds of thousands of sun and sea seekers every year. The evenings are always busy as people congregate around sunset to welcome back the penguins who have been out fishing all day.
Those who sit patiently to welcome the penguins come from an array of different backgrounds, for some it is the highlight of their nightly walk home after the daily commute into the city for work, children who are here to receive medical treatment under the Royal Far West program are delighted at seeing penguins in the wild and regularly come down in groups whilst they are here to receive much needed medical assistance, and then there are others who have taken the trip from the city specifically to see how humans and penguins can live together in an urban situation. Yet this could all be coming to an end in the very near future unless the citizens of Manly stand up and voice their concerns for planned infrastructure developments for the Wharf and Pavilion restaurant.

The current plans are to put a second level on the current Wharf and an extension to the Pavilion which would require the existing timber walk way to Fairlight to be replaced so the restaurant can be expended and allow for up market dining within this valuable habitat.

The Manly penguins have become an iconic symbol for the area showing that people and wildlife can live in unison and by careful and strategic planning, we can preserve what we have for future generations, yet it is now all in jeopardy due to a few wealthy entrepreneurs with direct links to the State Government. The impacts of extending the Pavilion restaurant and by doubling the size of the Wharf will undoubtedly cause the demise of the Manly penguins and one of the major assets which Manly currently holds will be lost forever.
We in Manly have two choices: Either we sit back and watch wealthy businesses move in, exploit and destroy what we have or we stand up and fight to show we are in control of our own future. The choice is simple and the choice is for all of us to decide. By standing up and protesting for the protection of the penguins, we not only show that we value these little critters, we show we have an input into the future of Manly and we will not allow the sustainability of our environment to be jeopardized by a handful of fat cats wanting to expand their already healthy incomes by exploiting what is not theirs to exploit.


Write in to your local newspaper, send letters to councillors, the mayor, ministers and local authorities and say enough is enough, we want to keep what is rightly ours and we want our future generations to share in the things which make Manly such a special place.

Source

PS Garry, you rock solid!! Thanks for doing your part. *flipper hugs*
   wiinterrr

No comments: