Fire authorities have been disappointed by the behaviour of some holiday makers in the nearby East Gippsland region.
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Forest Fire Management Victoria (FFMVic) compliance staff have been out and about in forests and parks over the holidays patrolling campsites and other areas to help keep visitors and our beautiful bush areas safe and clean.
Overall, they say they have been pleased with people’s behaviour.
“Most have been doing the right thing – extinguishing their campfires properly, cleaning up their rubbish and respecting each other and the environment around them,” Gippsland’s Assistant Chief Fire Officer Chris Stephenson said.
“[However,] It’s a shame that a minority often spoil it for others and that our officers have seen some disappointing behaviour, found a number of unattended campfires and an appalling amount of rubbish dumped at popular campsites.
“We find it hard to believe that this sort of irresponsible behaviour continues year after year, putting the community and the environment at risk,” Mr Stephenson said.
“Our authorised officers try to get to as many sites as possible, but Gippsland has over three million hectares of public land, so it’s impossible to be everywhere.”
The Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water an Planning (DELWP) is asking the public for help in reporting suspicious and illegal behaviour in parks and forests.
“If you see something, say something, to encourage everyone to help us catch and punish the minority who let us all down,” Mr Stephenson said.
Help protect forests from illegal activities such as rubbish dumping, unattended campfires, damage to campsites and facilities, illegal felling of trees, irresponsible driving or riding by providing authorities with useful information.
That information could include what happened, when and where it happened, the number of people and vehicles involved, registration numbers, and photos if it’s safe to take them.
Call the DELWP on 136 186 and it will notify the nearest DELWP office to follow up. Your information will be treated confidentially.
The information provided will help us with follow-up investigations and with planning more targeted patrols.
