A combined Townsville Council, State Government, Commonwealth and
community based initiative to maintain and enhance our waterways in the
coastal dry tropics.


Increasing Community Engagement in Townsville Coastal Catchments for Biodiversity Project
Funded by the Australian Government's Caring for our Country program.


2011 Sub Projects
 

Activities and Events


Bluewater Creek | Bohle Northshore | Bohle Riparian | Bohle Wetland | Clemant Wetlands | Cocoa Creek | Community Nurseries | Creekwatch | Cungulla Foreshore | Cungulla Wetland | GBR Habitat | Geoffrey and Alma Bay | Horseshoe Bay Habitat | Horseshoe Bay School | M.I. Weed Awareness | Mundy Creek | Nelly Bay Catchment | Nelly Bay Turtle | Northern Beaches | Oak Valley Finch | Paluma Catchment | Petersen Creek | Rainforest Birds Book | Ross River | Rowes Bay Foreshore | Rowes Bay Wetlands | Saunders Beach | Toomulla Foreshore | Town Common Bike Trail | Town Common Concept | Town Common Volunteers | Townsville Planning Scheme


Short Title: Bohle River Wetland


Bohle River Volunteer Riparian Habitat and Wetland Management


Location: Bohle River upstream of the Bruce Highway


Organisation: Conservation Volunteers Australia


Project Summary:

Since 2005, CVA has been working on a long-term rehabilitation project based on its successful Common Interest Program. This project will build on earlier efforts by tackling a range of issues, which have re-emerged since the long wet of 2010/11. Critical to earlier successes was CVA's model of community engagement, which involves the volunteers being supervised by a professional Team Leader and provided with transport to the site. This opens the project up to many disadvantaged people within the community who may not have access to their own or public transport.

A key component of this project will be an open invitation to community groups and NGOs as well as the broader community to participate in a Bush Blitz event. The site is ideal for this due to its high visibility right next to a busy highway and will serve to highlight the good work of all the groups in caring for our local environment. The Bush Blitz will be held in the first half of 2012 after some coordinated planning with Townsville City Council (TCC).


Project Location:

The Bohle River riparian wetlands are located upstream of the Bruce Highway on the eastern bank.


Issues Being Addressed:

Loss and degradation of the Bohle catchment native habitat through:

  • Invasive terrestrial and aquatic weeds Inappropriate fire regimes
  • Past and ongoing inappropriate land uses

Over many years this wetland and adjoining riparian forest has been slowly degrading due to invasion by a broad range of aquatic, herbaceous and woody weeds. Situated in an industrial area there is no local residential community to care for the site. Furthermore, the site's isolation from residential areas acts as a disincentive to community involvement.


Completed actions and events:

Activities:
•    Trial of the ISS aquatic weed winched net - 9 November 2011
•    WetlandCare Australia trained 5 team leaders in wetland assessment - March 2012
•    Wetland assessments conducted at the Bohle Wetlands site - 7 and 8 March 2012
•    Stakeholder meetings to advance the Bohle Riparian Management Strategy 13/3/2012 and 17/4/2012
•    Creekwatch activities at Bohle Wetlands with 10 William Ross High students – 30 April 2012
•    Celebrated National Volunteering Week morning tea at the Bohle River. Volunteers received National Volunteering Week badges – 15 May 2012
•    Community day at the Bohle with tree planting by local volunteers and Creekwatch activities – 23 June 2012
•    Bohle Blitz - 19 August 2012 (12 volunteers, 400 trees planted, 500m² weed controlled)

•    27 volunteer days held throughout the project i.e. one Wednesday and one Sunday per month, plus special events (above);
     - 148 volunteer days,
     - 7,500m² weeded,
     - 5kg native seed collected,
     - 1,050 trees planted.
•    Promotional events for volunteer recruitment including:
     - Upper Ross Community Expo,
     - Fishing and Outdoor Expo,
     - Heritage Day,
     - Ecofiesta,
     - JCU O-Week - February and August 2012.


Low level oblique view looking East, 2005



Low level oblique view looking South, 2007