On Tuesday, February 11th, Castlemaine Steiner School & Kindergarten had the pleasure of hosting Dr. Peter Rose and Emma Wolters from the North Central Catchment Management Authority (NCCMA) for a unique environmental initiative. The team visited the school to set traps across the Bush Food Island waterway and the Wetlands Dam as part of a hands-on conservation and wildlife monitoring project.
Twenty shrimp nets and two fyke nets were carefully placed and left overnight, with support from the school’s Sites team and the Eco Club. These dedicated students helped identify suitable locations for the nets, engaging in the process of environmental research and learning.
The following morning, the group returned before school started to check the nets, and the results were extraordinary. In the Bush Food Island waterway alone, fifty-one Flathead Gudgeons (Philypnodon Grandiceps), over a dozen sizeable Yabbies (Cherax Destructor), and four Eastern Longneck Turtles (Chelodina Longicollis) were found. The team also discovered a variety of macroinvertebrates, including Glass Shrimp (Paratya Australiensis) and Water-Boatmen (members of the Corixidae family). Most exciting of all, no invasive or non-indigenous species were encountered!
The Wetlands Dam yielded similar findings, with a number of Yabbies and Turtles, but unfortunately, no native fish were observed. An abundance of Mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki), a highly invasive species, was found in the area. Originally introduced in the 1920s to control mosquito populations, the Mosquitofish has since become one of the top 100 most invasive species in Australia, providing little benefit to the native environment.
Despite the presence of Mosquitofish, the overall health of both wetland areas is encouraging. The Wetlands Management Program, which is part of the school’s ongoing commitment to the environment, will continue to focus on enhancing these spaces, creating a thriving habitat for native species while providing valuable educational opportunities for students.
Students will continue to engage in further activities as part of this program, including creating additional habitat opportunities for native fish, placing hoop nets to observe wildlife, and testing water quality using scientific tools provided by NCCMA’s River Detectives program.
Looking ahead, Castlemaine Steiner School & Kindergarten plans to collaborate with local universities and the NCCMA to plant more indigenous riparian plants and introduce a variety of native fish species into the waterways. These efforts will contribute to larger research studies focused on monitoring the health of native fish populations and identifying strategies to manage the impact of Mosquitofish in the affected areas.
Castlemaine Steiner School is proud to be part of this vital environmental project, combining conservation, education, and community involvement to help protect and restore local ecosystems for the benefit of all.
