Rivercare in your area?

Discussion in 'The big picture' started by ho-hum, Dec 13, 2005.

  1. ho-hum

    ho-hum New Member

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    I havent run across any local ''Rivercare'' groups. There must be some out there.

    All australians are addicted to water. All australians are very aware of our dry continent and the impact of our activities.

    Is your local community active in protecting its water supply and maintaining its integrity?

    Is there a fair balance between our human needs and the environmental requirements?

    I dont live in an area where these concerns are pressing, yet! I would love to hear from any permies that were active and the sorts of activities/monitoring that is done

    Cheers

    Floot
     
  2. Jez

    Jez Junior Member

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    Floot,

    The last area I lived in before coming here - West Coast Tasmania - had a Landcare group and we linked in on a few projects with a "Rivercare" organisation (can't remember their exact title).

    The primary purpose in this instance was monitoring of acid mine runoff polluting local rivers, plus clearing waterways of gorse, willows and other run away weed problems which are rapidly ruining the local environment, then reveg and stabilise with native species.

    Because the area is very hilly and mountainous, old mine shafts can become exposed to the air very easily as the water table is all over the place - they are very difficult to flood effectively. When they do become exposed they react and leach out a very toxic acid which poisons everything in its path.

    We used to do species tests in the waterwats by which you can estimate the health of the system - presence of certain species and their density are good indicators of how clean the water is apparently.

    I haven't really seen anything similar where I am now...our tap water is certainly nothing to write home about...and with a lot of agriculture I'm sure there's plenty to be done in terms of improving waterways.
     
  3. ho-hum

    ho-hum New Member

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    Jez,


    Thanks for that, I couldnt imagine that no-one was doing anything on a local scale. Nice to hear of at least one group.

    I remember seeing on a Mollison tape, I think about kids in Horsham in Victoria were doing water sampling.

    Maybe we need to prod our politicians a bit.

    Will dwell on this a bit more..
     
  4. sabine

    sabine Junior Member

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    hi there,

    i've only arrived in my area (Baffle Creek catchment) this year but have joined the local community catchment care body - they did some great work cleaning up areas of weeds and revegitating etc but were disheartened when a larger body took over and red tape tangled them all up. now its just me and another new girl on the block (or acreage?) taking the challenge of working through the red tape to be able to do something next year! so not a lot to report here but we are trying... and the really good news is that the locals haven't hidden away in a corner totally disheartened and are willing and eager to work once we get the initial report done. this area is blessed with caring community minded environmentally conscious people who are in positions of authority, so there is so much potential here!

    peace,
    sabine
     
  5. bazman

    bazman Junior Member

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    I live on a water catchment dam, the council and owner of the lake (Pine Rivers) does stuff all to keep the system healthy, I have just been fighting them over a not so good idea of letting a land owner develop an old cattle dip area which is 60m from the edge of the lake. It's amazing what you can get away with when your friends are councillors, but what is also amazing is how their tune changes when the press gets involved..... :twisted:

    After each major storm here I walk the lake edge picking up bags of rubbish that wash off the local roads, why do people throw rubbish out their car windows?? I get 4-5 cans or bottles each week here out the front of my place.

    This area used to be used as a cattle farm so most of the large trees have gone, but their are still some areas worth protecting, around the edge.

    The above mentioned land owner also had cattle on the catchment so I went into battle to have them removed, since they have gone I have noticed alot of young tree re-growth, this could never happen with the 40 head of cattle hammering this area.

    I think I might be getting a bit of a label around here. ahhh I don't care.
     
  6. Cornonthecob

    Cornonthecob Junior Member

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    Sounds to me like you're doing the right thing Baz.

    :)
     
  7. mossbackfarm

    mossbackfarm Junior Member

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    Hi there

    Not exactly Rivercare, but hey, it's not exactly Oz, either :)

    Oregon (USA) has a state system where each watershed in the state can get funding to form a watershed council to get stakeholders together to make projects and education happen. It's a pretty good model

    I'm the Ag representative for the Yamhill Basin Council (https://www.co.yamhill.or.us/ybc/) ....the seat was vacant for years, so this crazy permie farmer gets the slot. I keep wondering when the big grain / grass seed farmers are going to figure out who's representing them..... :twisted:

    In my abundant free time (?) I'm in the process of writing a grant for planting a couple of acres of a local park to native trees. The river there is steelhead habitat.....trying to bring those shiners back....


    Rich
     
  8. biofarmag

    biofarmag Junior Member

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    Emerald (QLD) had problems with chemicals in the Nagoa River. Then they relocated the town DUMP, and the problems ceased. Stop and think about it. How many incidents can you think of where town dumps are located on river-flats and assorted flood-plains? What were these people thinking?? The last three dump sites in Rockhampton (we're probably going back 40 years or so) were all on river and creek banks.
     
  9. ho-hum

    ho-hum New Member

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    I like, I like, I like.



    Mossback, good post and jump in whenever you can. If we Australians had a monopoly on good ideas our environment wouldnt be in the shit it faces. A lot of our continent is clean and green but, generally speaking, not the bits where people live.

    I live and go camping in some of the most remote parts of australia but every day you can see a contrail up there from something flying overhead or at night the skies are now buzzing with satellites.

    I visit remote beaches that are footprint free and no sign of habitation except for the washed up nets, thongs, palm oil cans etc. Much of this is rubbish originating in other countries.

    Even on my property I have a large grassed area that my kids played on, horses were 'parked' there, my goat was often tethered there. It opened onto a crusher dust carpark at the side/rear of my house. All good, except visitors insisted on driving onto it to park their bloody cars. I gave up going crazy about it and had to fence the damn thing, for a while there I had 3 logs positioned across there but folks would still drive between them. My sister babysat the place for a few months and this area finished up with 2 'roads' across it. It is now fenced. [I had this area open because occassionally I move a caravan or a vehicle across it.]

    My point being is that much of the damage we do to this land is with bloody motor vehicles and our insistence on being able to park with 3' of anything you want to visit. Enough rant.

    I believe we have to fence our river systems and control access. I started this post because I live in, what is considered, a pristine area and would like to head of some of river problems before they start and become habitual.

    Cheers

    Mike
     

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