community based initiative to maintain and enhance our waterways in the
coastal dry tropics.
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A combined Townsville Council, State Government, Commonwealth and community based initiative to maintain and enhance our waterways in the coastal dry tropics. |
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Increasing Community Engagement in Townsville Coastal Catchments for Biodiversity Project |
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Short title: Creekwatch |
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Townsville Creekwatch Implementation and Program Review |
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Location: Louisa Creek, Stuart Creek, Bohle River, Townsville Town Common, Fairfield Waters, Sachs Creek and Bluewater Creek |
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Organisation: Group/organisation – Conservation Volunteers Australia (CVA) |
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Project Summary: Creekwatch has been a highly successful collaboration between Creek to Coral, CVA and the Townsville community since 2002. Creek to Coral wishes to review and update the program and increase the relevance of Creekwatch activities to the community. This project will increase community engagement through volunteers, schools and the local community being involved in the Creekwatch monitoring activities and awareness raising on the importance of healthy catchments. It will also improve the capacity to facilitate the Creekwatch community based monitoring program including data collection, analysis and feedback activities. |
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Involved Parties 7 Creekwatch groups Local Schools - group activities on a monthly basis and other one-off activities Local Community Townsville City Council (TCC) Invited to participate in Creekwatch Technical Review workshop/s: - James Cook University (JCU) - Department of Environment and Resource Managment (DERM) - Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation (DEEDI) (includes the former Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries). - WetlandCare Australia - Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) - NQ Dry Tropics - Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) |
| Completed actions and events: • Update and ‘clean’ Creekwatch monitoring data - October/December 2011 • Creekwatch Community Day held (50 community members attended) - 23 October 2011 • Background material prepared for the Creekwatch Program Review - October/November 2011 • First Program Review meeting/workshop held - 7 December 2011 • Community Creekwatch Tour (aimed at school and university students on holidays) - tour involved monitoring and educational activities (10 people attended) – 18 January 2012 • Creekwatch community litter pick at Louisa Creek (40kg rubbish 10 people) - 31 January 2012 • Creekwatch presentation with the Woodlands Scouts group - 14 February 2012 • Rasmussen State School - in class presentation (90 students) about Creekwatch, food webs and healthy waterways - 20 February 2012 • Fish monitoring with Thuringowa State High (25 biology students) - 21 February 2012 • Creekwatch Sunday at the Bohle Wetlands with the Woodlands Scouts - 26 February 2012 • Draft Creekwatch Manual and Field Assessment/Recording sheets issued March 2012 • In class presentation at Central State School (20students) - 21 March 2012 • Teachers from Pimlico High School joined the Creekwatch team at Sach’s Creek – 2 April 2012 • Creekwatch Community Tree Planting Day at Blakey’s Crossing (Louisa Creek) (200 trees 20 people) - 11 April 2012 • In class presentation with William Ross High students about Creekwatch – 23 April 2012 • Creekwatch activities with Pimlico High at Loam Island (40 students) – 4 May 2012 • Creekwatch activities with William Ross High students at the Bohle Wetlands – 8 May 2012 • Presentation at Holy Spirit School to teachers about CVA activities – 9 May 2012 • Upper Ross Community Expo Creekwatch Display - 12 May 2012 • Creekwatch activities with William Ross High (25 students) – 14 May 2012 • Creekwatch activities with St Patricks (16 students) at Louisa Creek – 16 May 2012 • Fishing and Outdoor Expo - Creekwatch spreading awareness and importance of fish monitoring and macro-invertebrate monitoring and water quality – 19 and 20 May 2012 • Heritage Day Creekwatch Display – 20 May 2012 • Participated in Toomulla Coastcare School Day (80 students) – 22 May 2012 • Creekwatch presentations to about 100 people at Bunnings - 24 May 2012 • Creekwatch presentation with Townsville Grammar School Pre Prep classes (50 students) -22 May 2012 • Ten TAFE students joined Creekwatch at the Town Common as part of their Conservation and Land Management Course – 29 May 2012 • Creekwatch at Eco Fiesta – 2 and 3 June 2012 • Creekwatch discussed Creek to Coral concepts by conducting a beach walk – 13 June 2012 • Celebrating World Environment Day with a community litter pickup at Louisa Creek (30 kg litter 7 people) – 5 June 2012 • Revised draft Creekwatch Manual issued for comment July 2012 • Toomulla Community Day 15 July 2012 (see Clemant Coastal Wetlands sub project) • Transported participants of the Paluma Push providing an opportunity to promote Creekwatch while people were in CVA vehicles 22 July 2012 • Conducted Creekwatch activities with students from Rosebud College Planet Pals from Victoria (10 days doing Conservation Volunteers activities). Also involved taking the students to Thuringowa State High school to meet with their Eco Warriors students – 22 September 2012 • July to September 2012 - New volunteers from James Cook University have been implementing a review of all the Creekwatch data in preparation for future Creekwatch publications such as a macro invertebrate booklet and fish posters. Other education degree university volunteers have been focused on improving the educational aspects of the program. In November some of this material will be used at the Questacon event (Organised by the National Science and Technology Centre in Canberra) • Monthly visits to Bluewater School - a class of 25 students. This program has been running at the school for over 6 years • Creekwatch as part of the Council’s school holidays program that saw parents and children attend Creekwatch activities • Creekwatch Volunteers Manual 2nd draft received for review – 17 January 2013 • Macro invertebrate booklet draft from CVA – 21 February 2013 • Additional information for reporting received – 25 February 2013 • Printed Townsville macro invertebrate guide booklet - April 2013 • Website update - May 2013 • Total of 120 Creekwatch days (average 5 volunteers per day = 600 x 4 hours = 2400 volunteer hours) Future Creek to Coral activities: • On-going Creekwatch activities led by CVA • Update Townsville WQIP database with most recent Creekwatch data |
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