A series of workshops in the coming days will give volunteers the chance to play a big role in the health of their local waterway.

The North Central Catchment Management Authority (CMA) will hold accredited workshops at Cohuna and Glenlyon for community volunteers to help them identify and record waterbugs.

“The types and amount of waterbugs in a river, creek or lake can tell us a lot about its health,” North Central CMA Project Manager Nicole Bullen said.

“We work with community volunteers on a number of projects to measure water quality, which provides important information to us, and populates state and national databases.”

One of those projects is Riverscan, which measures the condition of the Little Murray River, Loddon River, Gunbower Creek and Box-Pyramid Creek.

“Last year, volunteer data helped give us a baseline figure for these waterways, and we will soon begin the latest round of monitoring,” Ms Bullen said.

“Our workshops will give local volunteers the knowledge and skills to help collect data for Riverscan, as well as our Waterwatch program, and the upcoming national Waterbug Blitz.

“We know our communities are passionate about their waterways, and we know the importance of giving them the skills they need to make a difference.”

The details of the workshops are:

Waterwatch and Native Fish Recovery Plan RiverScan

Cohuna Information Centre, 9.30 - 3:30

Thursday 26 October

Glenlyon Waterbug Information Evening

Glenlyon Fire Station, 6.30 - 8.30

 Friday 27 October

National Waterbug Blitz

Glenlyon General Store, 10.00 - 3.30

Saturday 28 October 

To register, call 03 5440 1863 or email cass.davis@nccma.vic.gov.au

The workshops are part of the Victorian Government’s $222 million investment over the next four years to improve catchment and waterway health across regional Victoria.

This investment is a key component of Water for Victoria – the government’s plan for management of our water resources now and into the future.