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Kelsey Porter – Environmental Adventurer
Kelsey is a product of the USA, she describes herself as being an environmental adventurer.
Fox Glacier Kelsey moved to NZ to take up a job at Fox Glacier which quickly involved assisting the clean up
after the West Coast floods 2019 where an old refuse landfill site was washed out and disposed
a huge amount rubbish on beaches for miles up and down the coast. The cleanup was a
massive effort and Kelsey was one of the key organisers. Govt and LA funding of $800K got
things underway where thousands of volunteers and army were involved. A total of 241,600Kg
was collected mostly by hand. After the cleanup the remainder of the landfill was dug out at a
cost of $3.3M. Kelsey spent 6 years at Fox.
There are 300 suspect landfill sites identified in NZ including Kettle Park – Dunedin
Antarctica
An opportunity came up for a Safety Coordinator at Mc Murdo Station and a 1 season stint
turned into 2. Here Kelsey spent much of her time repairing gear, going out on the ice to form
trails for the scientists. She showed pictures of Barn Glacier end wall which must have been 30
– 40meters high. It was a very tough environment to live in particularly in winter. Holes were
drilled in the ice to allow divers under the ice for research of marine life.
Keep Dunedin Beautiful
Kelsey applied for the manager role through the DCC and being successful moved to Dunedin
with her partner. Her role here involves Trees for Families, Keep Dunedin Beautiful Awards and
coordinating with National Cleanup Week. She makes applications for funding including the
sale of T-shirts and also works with groups such as Rotary. |
