State Update
As the year quickly draws to a close, take a moment to explore this newsletter and celebrate the efforts of the Catchment Management Authorities (CMAs) in connecting with communities, as well as the work the volunteers are doing across the state. Together, these efforts are making an impact in fostering environmental stewardship and awareness.
A special thank you goes out to everyone who contributed to Frog Month Victoria! This initiative, launched in partnership with Melbourne Water, the University of Melbourne, and CMAs across Victoria, marked the first statewide frog monitoring effort for the CMAs. During Frogtober (October), we received an impressive 195 reports from regional Victoria and 443 reports from Melbourne and its surrounds—an excellent result for our first attempt! Professor Kirsten Parris from the University of Melbourne is now hard at work analysing the data. Stay tuned for her insights in the new year. Thank you for your enthusiasm and commitment to this important project—it wouldn’t have been possible without you.
Justine Holmes
State Facilitator for EstuaryWatch and WaterWatch
Stories from the regions
Mallee Catchment Management Authority
Flagship waterways citizen science events
In October, Mallee CMA attended an educational excursion with the Mildura Senior college at Brickworks Billabong (Merbein Common, Merbein). The excursion taught the students about Mallee CMA’s role at the Flagship Waterways site, pest plant and animal works, the impact of environmental water, and waterbody salinity. The students were engaged in water quality assessment and waterbug surveys facilitated by Mallee CMA. The activities were thoroughly enjoyed by the students and staff.
In November, Mallee CMA conducted an audio call survey at Cowanna Bend (Merbein Common, Merbein) with the Sunraysia Bushwalkers. Participants were introduced to the resident frog species and learnt how to use the Frog ID and the Frog census app while recording live frog calls.
Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Management Authority
Live stream platypus
Have you seen the platycam? A live stream of platypus, caught on camera by the Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Management Authority. It’s the only live stream camera capturing platypus in the wild. You can also see playback and and catch platypus activity that has happened in previous sightings on the camera. Have a look below and see if you can see any action!
Melbourne Water
From eDNA to smart tanks: Belgrave residents dive into technology to support the platypus
Belgrave locals are embracing innovative technologies to help save the platypus.
On Wednesday 27th November, Melbourne Water partnered with Southern Dandenongs Landcare to host a free community event in Belgrave. The evening included a series of presentations from platypus experts from EnviroDNA, University of Melbourne and Yarra Ranges Council, to present results of a citizen science based eDNA monitoring program and promote the Tanks for Platypus project.
Southern Dandenongs Landcare have been conducting eDNA sampling to monitor the platypus in the Belgrave area, which supports the last remaining platypus population in the Dandenong catchment. Encouragingly, the group detected platypus presence at one of their monitoring sites, fuelling enthusiasm for future surveys and expanding monitoring locations.
Residents also learned how they can take practical steps to support the platypus. The Tanks for Platypus project aims to safeguard the health of Monbulk Creek in Belgrave, by installing smart rainwater tanks on residential properties. These tanks manage water flows, capturing rainfall and releasing it into the creek during dry periods to support a healthier habitat for the platypus. The project is a collaboration between Melbourne Water, University of Melbourne & Yarra Ranges Council.
Corangamite Catchment Management Authority
Platypus spotting for National Water Week
To celebrate National Water Week, Corangamite Catchment Management Authority and citizen scientists took to the waterways in Forrest and Batesford in search of the elusive platypus while keeping a keen ear out for local frog species.
With perfect weather conditions providing a mystic vista over sites on the Barwon and Moorabool Rivers, citizen scientists who gathered along the Moorabool River at Batesford were thrilled with their spotting of Ornithorhynchus anatinus, affectionately known as ‘the platy’. The gorgeous creature swam down a long stretch of the river for all to see.
Although platypus are such iconic Aussie animals, we don’t really know much about them— especially their numbers and where they live. If we can gain a better understanding of their distribution, we can do more to help protect them. That’s where citizen scientists can help by logging any sightings. PlatypusSpot is a Citizen Science online program which encourages people to submit sightings in your local area or when you are out and about camping, fishing or even canoeing.
Participants also had the opportunity to build their knowledge and confidence using the Frog Census App. A simple to use app, Frog Census provides researchers and Catchment Management Authorities with faster access to valuable data, enabling timely environmental actions. This year’s Frogtober – frog month of October – saw a focus on Growling Grass Frog, however even though Frogtober is over, we’re still encouraging people when they’re out and about in their local frog environments to record all frog calls using the Frog Census app to help protect Victoria’s frogs – this small contribution can have a big impact!
