A Volunteer Community Awareness and Involvement Program
for the Management of our Local Waterways and Wetlands

WHAT IS CREEKWATCH?

Creekwatch empowers the local community to achieve ‘local ownership’ of their waterways through education and involvement in catchment management. Creekwatch activities provide environmental benefits to the local environment and social benefits to volunteers. Creekwatch activities include regular (i.e. monthly) macroinvertebrate surveys, fish and fauna surveys and water quality testing. Creekwatch also holds events on weekends. The Creekwatch program was established and is supported by the Townsville City Council with additional support from NQ Water and the Burdekin Dry Tropics NRM. Creekwatch supports the Creek to Coral programme, aimed at fostering the sustainable use and management of the local coastal marine and freshwater environments.

There are a number of new and established Creekwatch groups in the Townsville area. Please see below to become involved with your local neighbourhood Creekwatch group.

How to get involved:

Contact Mick Brady, the Creekwatch coordinator on (07) 4721 4077, mobile 0428533078, or email mbrady@cva.org.au

By being part of a Creekwatch Program, you can be involved in activities such as:

• Water Quality Monitoring
  
  
• Fish Monitoring
  
  
• Macroinvertebrate Monitoring (interesting waterbugs)
  
  
• Community Newsletter & Webpage design
  
  
• Rehabilitation of riparian vegetation
  
  

Sachs Creek

Be part of a team:

• Louisa Creekwatch
  
  
• Sachs Creekwatch
  
  
• Mundy Creekwatch
  
  
• Bluewater Creekwatch
  
  
• Town Common Creekwatch
  

Recently Formed Creekwatch Groups the Community Can be Involved In

• Ross River Network
  
  
• Bohle Riverwatch
  
  
• Stuart Creekwatch

Macroinvertebrate Monitoring Demonstration. Adam King from Conservation Volunteers Australia (CVA) shows Bohle Riverwatch tour participants macroinvertebrates monitoring techniques (04/02/2007).

How You Can Help our local waterways and wetlands

There are many very simple ways that we can all help to improve the water quality in all our local streams:

• Join a Community Involvement & Awareness Program
  
  
• Put your garden clippings and kitchen scraps in a covered compost bin; never hose grass down the drains or dump garden waste on creek banks.
  
  
• Always clean up after your dog; wrap droppings and put them in the bin.
  
  
• Sweep up dirt and place it in the garden rather than hosing it down the drain.
  
  
• Wash your car on the lawn, this allows the grass to filter nutrients from the soapy water.
  
  
• Reduce the use of fertilisers (start a compost bin), herbicides and pesticides and only use these in dry conditions.
  
  
• Properly dispose of used oils, paint and other chemicals at your local waste disposal site.