Merri Creek Management Committee

Waterbug Blitz Macroinvertebrates (waterbugs) are key bioindcators for determining the health of waterways as they are a key part of the food chain and can tell us about the health of the ecosystem.
Join Merri Creek Management Committee for our spring Merri Creek Waterbug sampling session Sunday 28 October as we collect data on waterbug diversity for Melbourne Water project priorities. The session will cover:

sampling and collecting of waterbugs
identifying live waterbugs to Family level and sometimes beyond!
Collecting information that will be part of the first ever National Waterbug Blitz!
lunch provided

Bookings essential- click on 'Read more' below. Please include any dietary requirements.

Celebrate World Habitat Day and improve local biodiversity by removing litter and doing some weeding along this section of the Edgars Creek in Thomastown. All clean-up gear provided, along with light refreshments. Children welcome (supervised by adult).

Saturday 29 September, 10 am to 11:30 am

Edgars Creek, Thomastown, behind Thomastown library. Meet at the playground – mel ref 8G6 see map

Registration essential - see under "Read more"

Inside: Led by MCMC staff, about 20 families got out of the January heatwave and into the cool of the Brunswick Library for the little kids to look at different local plants and make monoprints with them. Our Merri Creek Catchment Map helped everyone think more about where we are and how we're connected.

Outside: On another day, another place, we went out exploring the new wetland near the confluence of the Merri and Edgars Creeks in Coburg with members of Moreland Rotary. It was fantastic to stroll in the shade of the gum trees, walk around the wetland and enjoy the gorgeous habitat. The engineering is hidden, but it is great for us all to consider how this haven intercepts and treats polluted urban stormwater before it gets to our local creeks.

Australia’s gum trees can guide student inquiry, dialogue and critical thinking entry for STEAM (Science Technology Engineering Arts Mathematics) as well as Law and Language. This three minute video - Gum tree learning: Inspiring primary educators to teach with Australian eucalypts provides teacher support for the cross-cultural curriculum priority (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures). Use in the classroom and pause to focus on different elements.

Walk & Talk - World Wetlands Day 2018 To celebrate 2018 World Wetland Day, MCMC led 19 participants on a walk and talk around the picturesque Edwardes Lake in Reservoir on 1st February. This year’s theme was Wetlands for a Sustainable Urban Future and Edwardes Lake, Edgars Creek and associated wetlands were a very appropriate locale (see why below). Attendees learnt about water quality testing, the current ecological health of the waterbodies and how the wetlands and Gross Pollution Traps (GPTs) help improve water quality. They also got to see a local Spotted Marsh Frog.