Watermark   

Unique landscape portraits of the Heart Morass wetland system are the feature of the Art from the Heart exhibition at Wellington Entertainment Centre, Sale.

On show until September 22nd, the exhibition celebrates both the talents of local artists and the natural splendor of the Heart Morass, the site of a major environmental restoration project.

The exhibition follows on from the successful Heart Morass Community Day held at the end of August that saw over 350 local students, artists and community members experience the ecological significance of the three thousand acre property.

The community day was the first time in over 50 years that the iconic wetland was open for the public to explore.

The day was organised with the help of a number of community groups in partnership with WET Trust, Field and Game Australia, Bug Blitz Trust, the Hugh DT Williamson Foundation, Watermark and the West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority (WGCMA).

According to Des Sinnott, Chair of Watermark, the success of the day was a result of the commitment of the community and the project partners towards the management and environmental rehabilitation of the property.

“It was great to see the community get involved and see the results of the hard work that’s been done over the past few years,” said Mr Sinnott.

“This work will to help to eventually return the property to a fully functioning freshwater wetland right in the backyard of Sale.”

Local artists made the most of the scenery, capturing the remnant river redgums, broad skyline and the diversity of the landscapes along the banks of the Latrobe River in pastel, pencil, watercolor and acrylic.

Families enjoyed the fine weather conditions, tackling the 9km cycling track along the river, having a BBQ lunch and joining in with live reptile demonstrations throughout the day.

The Heart Morass became a giant outdoor environmental science classroom in the week leading up to the community day, with local primary and secondary school students participating in the hands-on Bug Blitz program.

Coordinated by John Caldow, with the assistance of teachers, parents and volunteers, the program combined environmental learning activities, such as macroinvertebrate collection and identification with larger than life creative art sculpture building.

The program gave local students a chance to actively appreciate and develop a greater understanding of the environmental value and biodiversity of the Heart Morass.

Field and Game Australia volunteers spent the day working hard to plant over three thousand trees and eradicating weeds on the property, continuing on over three years of restoration work by the project partners.

The volunteer efforts on the day helped to complement the ongoing work of the WGCMA to improve long-term health and biodiversity of the Heart Morass to ensure that it continues to regenerate into the future.