Shooters’ lake works blasted

Andrew Mathieson
UNAUTHORISED construction around a Moolap lake has infuriated environmentalists.
They accuse shooters of setting up a haven to attract waterbirds in time for the next duck hunting season.
Geelong Environment Council president Joan Lindros said the shooters had built canals and strengthened banks with foreign soil and filling at Reedy Lakes.
The shooters had also removed an indigenous saltmarsh to plant new tree species, she said.
The environment council believed that channels dug into the lake were for duck punts.
“Goodness knows what this is all for but I would think it is for more ducks,” Ms Lindros said.
The peak community environmental group’s members discovered the changes to the landscape during inspections of Parks Victoria’s proposed Barwon walking trails.
Ms Lindros said an on-site sign indicated the Geelong Field and Game Association carried out the work with the involvement of with Parks Victoria.
However, Parks Victoria spokesperson Caroline Hamilton denied the State Government body had given recreational shooters permission for the work.
“While Parks Victoria has supported the closure of the (Moolap Lake) road and supports the planting of native plants, we were not consulted on the types of plants that were going to be planted,” she said.
City of Greater Geelong was responsible for management of the lake, Ms Hamilton said.
But a City spokesperson said its parks and gardens department “knows nothing about any works or management of the area”.
Ms Lindros demanded that the shooters return the “original values of the lakeshore”.
She believed the works were just few weeks old.
“It’s going to be hard now to return it to what it was,” Ms Lindros said.
“I would like to see City of Greater Geelong and Parks Victoria work together to make the best out of what’s there.
“It will be very hard to restore just the lake’s edge, let alone the rest.”
Representatives of Geelong Field and Game Association had not returned the Independent’s calls for comment before the paper went to press.