Streamwatch is a program of Greater Sydney Landcare that supports citizen scientists from the community to monitor the health of their local waterways. One of the ways this is done is through waterbug surveys—the presence (or absence), abundance and types of waterbugs can provide indications on the health of the waterway they were collected from.
With the warmer weather, Streamwatch has been busy over the past few months, conducting several waterbug surveys across Greater Sydney.
We were excited to participate in Science Week at Sydney Zoo, where we displayed waterbugs collected from the zoo’s behind-the-scenes wetland. This wetland was designed to filter nutrients from the animal enclosures. One of the highlights of our survey was the discovery of Caddisfly larvae, which build portable silk cases using sticks and/or rocks to camouflage and protect themselves from predators.
Following that, we teamed up with Blacktown Council for a Wetlands Walk and Talk at the Henry Lawson Wetland, which features a floating wetland constructed in 2017 to reduce nutrient and sediment levels entering Blacktown Creek from stormwater runoff. Streamwatch held a stall with waterbugs collected on site and hosted a talk around the wetland.
Next, the Cumberland Land Conservancy hosted a waterbug survey at their Wallaroo site. Our Streamwatch Officer Sabina Roe assisted the group in surveying both Mulgoa Creek and an on-site dam. During this survey, we encountered the fascinating Freshwater Shrimp, a food source for the elusive platypus.
Finally, Hawkesbury Council led a Plant for a Platypus Day in North Richmond, where Dr Michelle Ryan gave an engaging talk about the platypus. Hawkesbury Council and Hawkesbury Nepean Landcare Network led a planting along the creek line. Our Streamwatch Officer Sabina, with the help of volunteers, conducted a survey of the creek to gather valuable data on local Macroinvertebrates.
We would like to thank the councils, environmental organizations and community members involved for coming together to make the spring’s waterbug surveys successful. If you are interested in joining Streamwatch you can contact us at streamwatch@greatersydneylandcare.org.
Calling All Streamwatchers
- Streamwatch 2024 Quality Assurance Day
This November, Streamwatch is hosting its annual Quality Assurance Days to review the quality of water testing kits, answer technical questions, and catch up with community groups. If you are a member of a Streamwatch Group you are invited to join us. Please contact streamwatch@greatersydneylandcare.org for the link to register.
The Streamwatch Officer’s position was made possible by the NSW Landcare Enabling Program, a collaboration between Local Land Services and Landcare NSW supported by the NSW Government
