General News
22 August, 2023
Unearthing secrets beneath
DID you know volunteers help monitor the Gellibrand and Curdies Estuaries every month?
DID you know volunteers help monitor the Gellibrand and Curdies Estuaries every month?
Heytesbury District Landcare Network’s Kate Lesley jumped at an opportunity to take part in a Pesticide Watch program.
“There’s a severe lack of data coming from the Curdies Catchment, both in this round of Pesticide Watch and in the previous iteration called “Pesticide Detective”,” she said.
Over three months Ms Lesley will take water samples in the Curdies River near the Trestle Bridge, with the first round of testing completed already.
She said she had also participated in water collection in Gellibrand with the Corangamite Catchment Management Authority.
The Pesticide Water program is part of a Deakin University initiative monitoring pesticide levels in waterways nationwide.
The program helps communities identify pesticides in local waterways at no cost.
Ms Lesley said interested community members are invited to attend the subsequent testing days which are expected to be held on September and October 1 respectively.
“People are welcome to get in contact with me at landcare on 5598 3755 or via the Heytesbury District Landcare Network Facebook page if they want to join us for getting the other two samples,” she said.
“In August we went birdwatching afterwards at the Trestle Bridge and saw lots of birdlife, including a Grey Currawong.”