November will be all about bugs for Landscapes Hills and Fleurieu, as it carries out a round of “waterbug bioblitzes” in the Hills to better understand the health of the region’s waterways and potentially discover rare species.
The organisation is encouraging both prospective and established citizen scientists to get their hands and feet dirty for two events at Wistow and Strathalbyn on November 8 and 15 respectively.
Volunteers will be guided by Landscapes SA Hills and Fleurieu staff and aquatic ecologists at the family friendly events, at which water quality will be tested and macroinvertebrate activity monitored at more than 25 sites in the Bremer and Angas-Finnis river catchments.
Senior stewardship officer Dana Miles said the “bizarre” Gordian (horsehair) worm was discovered near Strathalbyn at a “bioblitz” last year, while a native fish called obscure galaxias was found the year prior.
“We also found (an insect) species called the vulture caddis, which was the first record in the Angas-Finniss catchment in over 15 years,” she said.
“The help of volunteers makes the events efficient and exciting ... the findings contribute to a better understanding about the health of the waterway and catchment and help inform decision-making around water planning.
“We’re really pleased to be working with Second Nature Conservancy to host these events on both Peramangk and Ngarrindjeri country.”
Those who wish to attend can meet at the Wistow Community Hall on Friday, November 8 and Strathalbyn Natural Resource Centre on Friday, November 15.
“We generally meet up at the base in the morning, have a quick training, then split up in groups to monitor different sites, before meeting back at the lab to get a close-up look at what we have found and take records,” Mrs Miles said.
“It’s a great learning experience and an opportunity to be a real scientist for the day.”
Visit bit.ly/HFbioblitz24 to register as a volunteer at either event.
