Community Education

This is a working model demonstrating how rain falling in the catchment makes its way into the rivers then to the ocean, and how the water can become contaminated along the way by different human activities. It shows us that if we make the right choices, we can keep water quality good and protect the places we love!

This model was co-commissioned by the former Great Lakes Council and MidCoast Water. Its design is loosely based on the landscape of the Wallis Lake catchment, including Forster and Tuncurry. It uses water which is pumped around the model powered by solar panel on its transport trailer, with food dye and clay for 'pollution'.

The model is transported in a trailer and is available for group sessions with a trained staff member throughout the MidCoast area.

Book your session by contacting us on 7955 7777 or email [email protected].

Manning Great Lakes Waterwatch is part of the NSW Waterwatch network.

Waterwatch is all about communities caring for catchments. Waterwatch volunteers monitor the health of their waterway, collecting data on any or all of water quality, aquatic macro-invertebrates (water bugs), and site characteristics (through site assessments). Anyone can get involved!

We have Waterwatch equipment available for loan to people within our service area. We have:

• Junior Waterwatch kits (temperature, pH, electrical conductivity and turbidity)
• Senior Waterwatch kits (junior + dissolved oxygen and available phosphate)
• Junior training set (4 of each, to suit whole class)
• Sample collection bottles and poles
• Water bug survey training kit (10x nets, trays, id sheets), can also be loaned individually.

Book your session by contacting us on 7955 7777 or email [email protected]

In 2012-2013 Council worked with Great Lakes College, Forster Campus to design a program to embed local water quality and Catchment issues into the geography curriculum for Years 7-10.

This work has continued with Great Lakes College and each year Council assist the school to run a field day with Year 10 Geography students.

As a result of these field days over 500 students have learnt about Catchment management, threats to water quality / estuary health and actions that can be taken to reduce human impacts on water quality.

Classroom theory lessons are combined with a specially designed filled day which includes demonstrations of the catchment trailer, dip-netting for macro invertebrates and undertaking water quality monitoring in Pipers Creek.

Great Lakes College have begun water quality monitoring using Waterwatch kits at their school and have partnered with Council to construct a rain garden on campus to improve stormwater quality.

These initiatives are excellent practical demonstrations of the actions that can be taken to improve and monitor water quality in urban catchments.

We are developing a Koala Smart pilot project with Hunter Local Land Services. The teacher activity guide(PDF, 5MB) is a free resource for schools interested in biodiversity.  Local schools interested in participating in the pilot project can email [email protected].