Bellingen-based environmental charity, OzGREEN, invites anyone living on the Mid North Coast to ‘Macro Muster 6’, a citizen science event at the Bellingen Showground on Wednesday, May 22nd, from 3:45pm to 7:30pm with a free community dinner included.
Help collect valuable macroinvertebrate data and become a proactive steward of our rivers!
This unique opportunity will encourage people who love and use the beautiful Bellinger River catchment to dive into the fascinating world of waterbugs and learn about the very important role they play in keeping our rivers and the species that rely on them healthy, including the critically endangered Bellinger River Snapping Turtle.
OzGREEN’s macroinvertebrate monitoring program is one of the largest of its kind in Australia. This immersive learning experience guided by scientist and volunteer Macro Teachers sees community members come together to conduct an accurate count of the waterbugs at six sites across the Bellinger and Kalang catchments.
“We’re doing something a little different with this muster than our previous musters,” says OzGREEN’s, Event Coordinator, Sam Daykin. “We host two musters a year, in May and October, to gain the data our scientist partners have requested. Our May muster is a ‘helpers’ muster and is smaller and more intimate than the October muster.
“We’re going to have sessions and activities to help people deepen their knowledge. We’re really hoping that the people that attend the May muster will be able to come to future musters and help us grow the October muster into a large-scale event.”
OzGREEN’s Program Manager, Amy Denshire, says, “This is our sixth muster.. we have seen time and time again, the power of these events to connect people with their rivers, spark awe and connection with the wider world, and inspire behavioural change.”
One past participant says, “By understanding and seeing some of the ‘hidden’ life living in our river it makes them ‘come alive’. Already we’ve been down at the river looking for bugs, and spending more time at the river since the event.”
“We need to first fall in love with the river and the species that rely on it to then hear the call to protect it and them,” says Amy.
“We are keen to grow our October muster to become a large event to help inspire environmental stewardship on a big scale and support the protection of these rivers into the future.
“The rivers of the Bellinger and Kalang catchments are some of the healthiest rivers in Australia. It’s up to our community and tourists to protect what we have.”
Sam adds, “I love this event and am so thrilled to be part of the team that can offer this to our community!
“No prior experience is needed – come down, have some fun, and get to know these little creatures that play a big role in the health of our rivers.
“It’s a chance for our community to gain new knowledge and skills and meet new people – plus we all get to share a nice meal together after the waterbug count.”
The free event will be held in the Main Pavilion at Bellingen Showground and is suitable for people aged 11 and up.
For more information or to register, visit http://www.ozgreen.org/macromuster