A significant highlight for Glenelg Hopkins’ EstuaryWatch volunteers during 2023 was three members – Gary Ryan, Dina Selman and Ash Zanker – acknowledged at the 30-year Citizen Science Celebration event for their volunteer service.
Dina and Ash couldn’t attend the celebration event, but in June the Glenelg Hopkins CMA’s Jarred Obst caught up with the group and presented them with their much-deserved awards.
Dina and Ash were founding members of the Hopkins River EstuaryWatch group when it began in 2010.
Absolutely professional in her approach to the program, Dina’s reliability in equipment maintenance and calibration, and data entry into the EstuaryWatch state portal, means the program in the southwest would not be where it is today without her commitment. “What a lovely surprise this was! And so out of the blue!” Dina said on receiving her Service Award.
Fellow founding member, Ash, brings an extremely high level of motivation and enjoyment to the program and is influential as a motivator, not only in the group, but in the wider Hopkins community. Ash takes the lead in estuary mouth and water level monitoring and data entry, often outside of standard monthly monitoring routines, particularly when needed to capture key events such as floods and ocean storms. “It’s been great fun checking out the river each month, as well as learning a thing or two,” Ash said.
The Glenelg Hopkins CMA are indebted to all our volunteers for their longstanding and on-going efforts, and we look forward to continuing this program into the years ahead.
Photo: Dina Selman and Ash Zanker pictured with fellow Hopkins EstuaryWatch volunteers at their H2 monitoring site, Hopkins River estuary Warrnambool, June 2023
