Volunteers’ diligent watching celebrated

THE hard work of volunteers across not only the Geelong region but also Victoria have been recognised in the latest EstuaryWatch and WaterWatch Annual Achievements Report.

Released last week, the reprt highlights how thousands of dedicated volunteers across Victoria give their time to visit local waterways to monitor water quality and collect valuable environmental information that directly informs how authorities make decisions for better waterway health.

In the region covered by the Corangamite Catchment Management Authority, WaterWatch and EstuaryWatch volunteers have undertaken short and long-term monitoring of the Curdies River since 2001 for WaterWatch sites and 2013 for EstuaryWatch sites.

Citizen scientists are represented on the Curdies River Consultative Committee providing important water quality data and observations to the committee.

This committee was established in 2022 to provide a transparent and effective platform for knowledge sharing, consultation, and collaboration to improve the health of the Curdies River.

The Curdies River Consultative Committee members are working together to deliver habitat restoration and nutrient management programs to continue to improve the health of the Curdies River.

Victoria has been at the forefront of community-driven environmental stewardship for three decades, with its WaterWatch and EstuaryWatch programs.

Citizen scientists involved in the 2022-2023 programs contributed 92,030 hours to care for waterways, equivalent to 12,720 volunteer days.

This contribution provides an estimated economic value of the 2022-2023 volunteer effort of $3.8 million.

The EstuaryWatch and WaterWatch programs are funded through the Victorian government’s $248 million investment over four years to improve catchment and waterway health across regional Victoria.

“I am grateful to the Victorian government for their investment and shared vision on delivering these important programs that have tremendously improved waterway health across regional Victoria,” WaterWatch and EstuaryWatch Facilitator Justine Holmes said.

“This year’s Annual Report highlights how important the collaboration between Catchment Authorities and communities is.

“This collaboration is what creates meaningful impact for Victoria’s waterways and the people and diverse biodiversity that depend on them.”

To read the report, head to ccma.vic.gov.au