School students and members of the community took on the important role of citizen scientists earlier this month, undertaking training and collecting their first water samples in the Bellinger and Kalang river catchments.
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The testing marks the launch of the ‘Bellingen Riverwatch - Our Rivers, Our Future’ citizen science project, which focuses on monthly water quality testing to fill information gaps and monitor the ongoing health of the rivers, with the help of the community.
The project will support recovery actions of various threatened species such as the Giant barred frog, Stuttering frog and the Bellinger River snapping turtle.
OzGREEN chief executive officer Sue Lennox said it was wonderful to be out in the field with passionate locals.
“Citizen science has an important role to play in the ongoing health of our region's waterways, so it is very exciting to have such an important project happening right here in Bellingen,” she said.
One of the volunteers, Lynda Lane, has adopted a site and said she was loving sharing the experience with her ten-year-old daughter Macy and seeing her passion for the environment and science intensified.
Bellingen Riverwatch has been developed and implemented by the NSW Office of Environment & Heritage (OEH), Saving Our Species program and OzGREEN in partnership with Bellingen Shire Council, NSW Waterwatch, Western Sydney University, Taronga Zoo Sydney, Bellinger Landcare, Earthwatch Institute, Eco Logical Australia, North Coast Local Land Services and Jaliigirr Biodiversity Alliance. To get involved or to view results as they are released see www.ozgreen.org/bellingen_riverwatch or contact ozgreen@ozgreen.org.au.
