rip - roaring results for riverwatch
By Andrea Ferrari - Nambucca Valley News of The Area
All three programs in OzGREEN’s Bellingen Riverwatch project are kicking goals in 2024.
The different programs are tailored to help protect local rivers in actionable and practical ways.
There's the macroinvertebrate (waterbug) monitoring citizen science program, a water quality monitoring citizen science program, and a community riverbank restoration program.
The macroinvertebrate monitoring citizen science program is the largest of its kind in the country.
Its recent and sixth event took place in June, bringing together community members to collect and accurately identify the waterbugs at six sites throughout the Bellingen and Kalang river catchments.
“This program also just released a range of free macroinvertebrate resources to connect community members, students and tourists with these incredible creatures that live in these unique and very healthy rivers,” Program Manager Amy Denshire told News Of The Area.
See www.ozgreen.org.au/macroresources to check them out.
“It takes a long time to support their growth until they’re established, and [young people] are already there on the ground every day. They are there playing basketball, skating, so if people come wanting to hurt the planting, they could be the ones who call them out.”
Bellingen Riverwatch's innovative resources have been used and adapted by any other sister citizen science groups, including the Manning River Turtle Group, Woopi/Woolgoolga River Working Group, and Positive Change for Marine Life.
The program's Steering Committee recently launched a comprehensive data portal that illustrates the monthly water quality data volunteers have collected, alongside other datasets they have collated periodically, including pesticides data, platypus eDNA data and macroinvertebrate data.
"Bellingen Riverwatch volunteers are currently collecting heavy metals data and these results will be added to the portal in the coming months also,” said Amy.
A paper about the program has been published in Frontiers in Environmental Science, an international journal, which compares the citizen science data to scientists' data for the water quality program.
Nakia Belema, a River Health Scientist from the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, said, “It is a pleasure to be able to showcase the Riverwatch group's dedicated efforts through the publication of their data.
“As a scientist, to be a part of such a wonderful citizen science group, along with fostering their scientific curiosity, is deeply rewarding.
“This case study has provided an insight into what can be achieved with a highly motivated community group working collaboratively with professional scientists.
“The program has filled data gaps within the broader waterway monitoring programs, creating social and educational benefits for the whole community,” said Nakia.
Lastly, Riverwatch’s newest program, the community riverbank restoration project Bellingen Riverwatch has brought into fruition.
This program is very excited to announce a third event at this site – river youthfest - which will coincide with the youth climate and waterway event on Saturday 17 August during National Science Week and is currently putting out the call for young music artists who might be interested in performing.
Anyone interested can get in touch with lily@ozgreen.org.au.
By Andrea Ferrari.
