Volunteer stories
Celebrating 20 years of dedication. Thank you Irene!
This year, we say a heartfelt thank you to Irene for an incredible 20 years of dedication to the Waterwatch program and Streamteam. Since joining in 2003, Irene has been a driving force in community water monitoring, bringing her expertise, enthusiasm, and passion for our waterways to every session. See a short interview below. How long you’ve been a Stream...
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Meet Fiona Taylor
Fiona Taylor is a Humanities and Geography teacher at Coburg High School, a local resident, and a member of the Merri Birdies, one of the WaterWatch groups along the Merri Creek . What’s your favourite spot on the Merri Creek? There are too many to choose! One I love is where we do the Merri Birdies and Waterwatch monitoring with...
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Volunteering with Purpose: Kirsten MacLeod’s Journey with Waterway Monitoring
For over two years, Kirsten McLeod has dedicated her time to waterway monitoring on the Merri Creek in Melbourne, driven by curiosity, learning and a passion for connecting people with their local environment. “It’s a good sense of perspective to think about what these waters have been through—storm water drains, industrial waste, and new developments—before they reach us.” Kirsten’s involvement...
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Neil Tucker from EstuaryWatch Anglesea
I had the pleasure of speaking with Neil Tucker, an EstuaryWatch volunteer from Anglesea who has been part of the program for many years. Neil is passionate about EstuaryWatch because he enjoys collecting data that makes a difference. When I asked Neil about the challenges of being an EstuaryWatch volunteer, he mentioned that there really aren’t any, thanks to the...
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Recognising 12 years of volunteering for Mr Russell Cox
Russell Cox has been involved in volunteering activities for the Mallee Catchment Management Authority (CMA) for 12 years. To recognise 30 Years of WaterWatch Citizen Science and Russell’s achievements, we spoke with him to understand what motivated him to start volunteering and why he has continued to monitor for so many years. “I commenced my working career in 1974 in...
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North Central WaterWatch program welcomes new volunteer Isobel
The North Central WaterWatch program is fortunate to have a small but steady stream of new volunteers joining, which also gives the team the opportunity to meet community members at their adopted sites for inductions and training. Earlier this year, we had the pleasure of attending the Beacon Careers Expo in Echuca to help run a River Detectives display. Here...
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EstuaryWatch volunteers keeping tabs on the Barwon River estuary
Measuring water quality of the Barwon River estuary is an important citizen science activity supported by Corangamite CMA. Volunteers meet each month to measure water quality tests including dissolved oxygen, temperature, electrical conductivity (salinity), turbidity (clarity of the water) and pH (acid/base). These indicators provide a picture of the condition of this highly valued estuary from the heads right up...
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