Join us in surveying waterbugs in the Coal River to monitor water quality. We will be learning how to catch bugs, identify them, and use them to assess water quality. After this workshop you will be able to monitor water quality yourself, and help out a citizen science program.
Date: Saturday 27th of November 2021
Time: 10am - 13:00pm
Location: Richmond, Riverbank Park, at the BBQ area south of Richmond Bridge (If the weather is really bad, then we will be in the supper room of Richmond Hall. Please keep a look out for last minute emails.)
Please download The Waterbug App onto a mobile device prior to this session and register (sign in - top left of the home screen). If you don’t have or don’t want to use your phone/tablet, there will be paper texts and data sheets available to use. (more info under www.waterbugblitz.org.au)
Free of charge, however please register below to secure your spot and so that we can contact you in case of changes to the event.
It may be sunny, it may be windy, please come prepared.
Macroinvertebrates, also known as waterbugs, are a good indicator for the health of rivers, creeks and other watercourses. In this session, John Gooderham will give participants the skills to identify aquatic macroinvertebrates to Order and Family Level. In the course of the workshop participants are taught how to use taxonomic keys to identify waterbugs. The participants are then taken through the array of common families of aquatic macroinvertebrates from the easiest to the hardest to identify. Participants are encouraged to bring their own material that they want to identify at the workshop.
We will also look at how to turn the list of waterbugs that you find at a site into an assessment of the ecological health of the river / wetland in which you found them.
John Gooderham is a freshwater ecologist. He works with The National Waterbug Blitz. He co-authored The Waterbug Book with Edward Tsyrlin (CSIRO 2002), The Waterbug App with Michael Sharman (a free ID app on iOS and Android!). He is currently making short waterbug documentaries and helping people set up citizen science projects to monitor rivers and wetlands around Australia – using waterbugs.
A COVID Risk Management Plan has been developed by Landcare Tasmania in line with the current COVID requirements. Please follow social distancing rules and stay at home if you are feeling unwell.
This event is supported by the JM Roberts Charitable Trust and the State Government's Landcare Action Grants.
Landcare Tasmania works to represent, support, strengthen and grow community Landcare. Landcare Tasmania has more than 300 member groups across the state, representing over 5,000 Tasmanians.