Reef Catchments in Mackay, Queensland | Environmental conservation organisation

Reef Catchments

Locality: Mackay, Queensland

Phone: +61 7 4968 4200

Address: Suite 1, 85 Gordon Street 4740 Mackay, QLD, Australia

Website: http://www.reefcatchments.com.au

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25.01.2022 We need YOUR help! Do you live near or on Rocky Dam, Basin or Carmila Creeks and would like to help collect water quality data to gain a better understanding of... water quality in our catchment? We are seeking volunteer citizen scientists (no prior skill or knowledge required) to undertake monthly sampling at these creeks. Volunteers will be fully inducted and provided adequate training. If you would like to be involved, please contact SLCMA asap by email: [email protected] or phone: 4956 1388, to express your interest and find out more. If you would like to know more about citizen science visit: https://www.chiefscientist.qld.gov.au//citizen-science-pro or to the ACSA site - https://citizenscience.org.au/who-we-are/ This project is proudly supported by the Queensland Government Queensland Citizen Science Grants. https://www.chiefscientist.qld.gov.au//citizen-scien/about

25.01.2022 MEET SQUAWKY Introducing the Reef Catchments mascot, Squawky. Squawky is a six-week-old rainbow lorikeet being hand raised by one of our staff in our Mackay office.... Can you guess how we settled on the name Squawky?

24.01.2022 VOLUNTEERS NEEDED - COASTCARE PLANT PROPAGATION DAY Volunteers are needed to help nursery staff propagate native plants this Saturday, 5 December. Tree-at yourself, come along and learn about local plants and enjoy the company of like minded people. Morning tea will be provided.... Water bottles, enclosed footwear, and sun smart clothing are all essential. This is a collaborative event between Reef Catchments and Mackay Regional Council. Mackay Regional Council Pioneer Catchment & Landcare Group Inc. Conservation Volunteers Australia Register online here: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/coastcare-plant-propagation.

24.01.2022 We have a few spare seats onboard Eco Barge tomorrow and Friday (20th & 21st) depart 8am return around 4pm. If you would like to help us clean some beaches Please call Libby 0417642815 for further details.

24.01.2022 Mackay and District Turtle Watch are looking for volunteers to assist them this upcoming turtle nesting season.

24.01.2022 We are reminiscing about our time more than a year ago with one of Central Queensland’s award-winning tourism events the Isaac Regional Council St Lawrence Wetlands Weekend Greater Whitsunday Food Network Inc Seafood Dining Experience 2019. Reef Catchments is committed to helping our producers improve their sustainability as well as the surrounding environments. Our ongoing relationship with the Greater Whitsunday Food Network means we can share stories of where our food com...es from with foodies. What better way to get to appreciate our environment than to share food with friends, eating the food of our region and hearing stories of how it was, grown, raised and caught. We’re so grateful to the supporters, organising committee, our special guests, industry stakeholders and the community of St Lawrence and surrounding areas for their continued work and efforts in making the #OurIsaac Coast amongst the best. Thanks to everyone who contributed Matt Golinski - Official, Nic Flack at The Flackyard, Katrina Drew, Michelle Cross 9th Lane Grind, Glen Barret, students of Mackay North State High School, Sarina Sugar Shed, Andrea Cantwell Coffee Service Packaging, Black Duck Kitchens, SunRice, Glenys Mansfield, Christine Wilson, Wendy King, Amanda Lavarak, Tegan McBride, Viv Coleman, Juliane Kasiske, Jac Kotzé. Thanks to the producers Australian Prawn Farms Pty Ltd, ABC Produce (Bowen), Bedford Park Pork, Ben Coyne, Cindy Ellis, Dave Hunter, Eungella Finger Limes, Eungelladale Dairy, Freckle Farm, Fresh As Sweet As, Goanna Brewing, Holistic Pantry, Leo Erbacher & Wade Easdale (Proserpine), Oaky Creek Limes, Phantom Produce (Bowen), Nannu Johnny's Farm, New Reefs Hydroponics, Sarina Sugar Shed, Shorefresh Seafood, Inc., TH Produce (Giru) and of course the Greater Whitsunday Farmers' Market. Thanks to Jac at Flow Motion Media for capturing the fun and creating this video to share with everyone. This event was a joint initiative of the Greater Whitsunday Food Network Inc, Isaac Regional Council, and Reef Catchments through funding from the Australian Government National Landcare Program. Isaac Regional Council Mayor Anne Baker said it was with a heavy heart to cancel this for 2020 due to COVID-19. But we are in extraordinary times and these decisions must be made I’m sure we can all appreciate and understand. We will be back bigger than ever in 2021 with St Lawrence Wetland Weekend cross fingers - and to ensure that and our daily lives return, I encourage you to listen to the health advice being provided by Queensland Health and the Australian Government’s Department of Health.

22.01.2022 Seagrass monitoring for 2020 has come to a close. Thank you to the Reef Catchments Corporate Shared Services Team and volunteers for your time and energy. We saw some weird and wonderful things, as usual, including egg sacks and seeding seagrass! Here are a few of the pictures from Wednesday and Thursday. Seagrass monitoring will be back on in June 2021. If you would like to join our mailing list to be alerted for chances to volunteer please sign up here: https://us2.list-manage.com/subscribe

21.01.2022 Celebrating National Landcare Week 2020 with our volunteers planting natives at Far Beach. Well done everyone! #farbeachreveg #landcareweek2020 #pioneercatchmentlandcare

21.01.2022 LAST CHANCE TO JOIN LIVING WITH TURTLES WORKSHOP There is still time to join tomorrow's Living with Turtles Workshop at The Surf Club Mackay. Hear from Mackay and District Turtle Watch Association members and Reef Catchments staff about the turtles of our region, how you can help them, and what to do if you find one in distress.... Registrations close at 5pm today.

20.01.2022 Today community volunteers and Viv Coleman Councillor - Division 8 - Isaac Regional Council joined Reef Catchments at Clairview for some very important work cou...nting seagrass along the Isaac Coast. Seagrasses are vital to our marine ecosystem providing food, shelter and nursery areas for sea life. They are also a favourite snack for our dugongs

20.01.2022 Landholders in the Proserpine area have a chance to learn from DNRME staff about your vegetation clearing requirements and options at a vegetation management workshop to be held next week. Follow the link below to join. https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/vegetation-management-works COVID-19 requirements... The current Queensland Government Direction: Stay at home if unwell or have a cough, fever, sore throat, fatigue or shortness of breath. If you become unwell during the event please contact the event organiser, Jessica Sabatino. During the event stay 1.5 metres away from other people - think two big steps.

20.01.2022 1 week, 1 tonne ... Eco Barge removed just under one tonne of marine debris in one week solely. Keeping it COVID-safe, our volunteers embarked on five trips las...t week, removing 1 tonne of marine debris from the Whitsunday Islands. They truly rock! This project is supported by Reef Catchments through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program #greatbarrierreef #marinedebris #oceanconservation #ocean #peoplepower #whitsundays #airliebeach #plasticfree ##ecobargecleanseas See more

19.01.2022 WATER QUALITY PROJECTS REDUCE FERTILISERS AND PESTICIDES FROM POLLUTING THE REEF The Great Barrier Reef Foundation has announced nine projects that will stop at least 26 tonnes of fertiliser and 215 kilograms of pesticides at its source every year in the Mackay Whitsunday area. Reef Catchments is overseeing the delivering of the $22.7 million Mackay Whitsunday regional water quality improvement program over the next four years.... The program will greatly reduce the volume of pollutants from the Plane Creek and Pioneer catchment entering the Great Barrier Reef lagoon by providing extension advice to cane farmers which leads them to adopt improved land management practices. The projects provide varied approaches to reduce pesticide and fertiliser loads. They combine known methods, such as precision agriculture, with trialling novel techniques which could facilitate further pollutant load reductions in the future. Reef Catchments CEO Katrina Dent said: Cane growers are always interested in reducing losses of both fertiliser and pesticides from their farm and into the environment through practice change, however there are often many hurdles to overcome before making a change. The program facilitates the practice change through extension support which also ensures that the change, and subsequent improvements in water quality, are long term Great Barrier Reef Foundation Managing Director Anna Marsden said poorer water quality caused by land-based runoff is a significant threat to the health of Australia’s irreplaceable ecosystem, the Great Barrier Reef. By working with farmers and scientists we’re not only improving conditions for the Reef’s precious corals, we’re also saving endangered turtles and dugongs that feed on the region’s seagrass beds that need clean water to thrive, Ms Marsden said. We need less fertiliser and pesticides running into the Reef’s waters as they cause algal blooms which prevent coral and seagrass from receiving the natural light they need to survive, are toxic to marine life and contribute to the increase of crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks. These projects are an important part of our ambitious plan to prevent 500 tonnes of dissolved inorganic nitrogen from polluting the Great Barrier Reef each year by 2030. The Mackay Whitsunday regional water quality improvement program is funded by the Great Barrier Reef Foundation’s partnership with the Australian Government’s Reef Trust. https://reefcatchments.com.au/projects/mwwqp/

19.01.2022 REEF CATCHMENTS MACKAY OFFICE COVID-19 UPDATE Due to the ongoing situation with COVID-19, reception at the Mackay Reef Catchments office is no longer receiving outside visitors. If you need to speak to a member of the Mackay team, please call reception on (07) 4968 4200. ... Thank you for your cooperation.

18.01.2022 Today the team are out and about distributing the reprint of Provenance Magazine! Thanks to the Australian Government National Landcare Program, Mackay Regional Council and the Greater Whitsunday Food Network Inc for the funding support for 3000 copies - on recycled paper of course! Please let us know if you would like us to drop some to you to share the stories and celebrate the food from our region. ... Thanks to the Greater Whitsunday Farmers' Market for having us, such a great space to connect with our community weekly. #landcare #buymackay #agritourism #supportlocal You can view the online version here: https://issuu.com/reefcatch//provenance_vol12020_web_issuu

18.01.2022 What a day we've had at the Bring Your Land To Life Field Day. Thanks to everyone who came down to spend the day learning how to connect to our ecosystems and grow delicious nutritious food. Auscan Worm Farms Calibre Aviation Cloudbreak Lowlines Cattle & Eungella Beef... Central Queensland Soil Health System RACQ CQ Rescue Glencore Greater Whitsunday Food Network Inc Just Got Laid Poultry Supplies Mackay & District Goat Club MAD Cow Coffee Mackay Mirani Sugar Valley Lions Club Mackay Regional Council Mt Ossa Rural Mackay Whitsunday Isaac Healthy Rivers to Reef Partnership Northern Australia Climate Program Nu-Tank Pioneer Catchment & Landcare Group Inc. Sarina Landcare Catchment Management Assoc. Snap Solar Mackay Community Garden Whitsunday Catchment Landcare Inc. Worm Hit Pty Ltd Thanks to Reef Cleaning Services for keeping the hygiene for today. Thanks to @Finch Hatton P&C for the parking assistance Thanks to Traffic Control Mackay & Districts for keeping our shared spaces safe. Thanks to Flow Motion Media for capturing this fun-filled day. Thanks to Glencore for their support for this event. #bringyourlandtolife #reefcatchments

17.01.2022 MONITORING OUR CATCHMENTS FROM PADDOCK TO REEF For anyone who has ever wondered about the process of monitoring water quality and what is involved in gathering this crucial information, Reef Catchments has created this interactive storymap explaining how the Paddock to Reef program works. https://spark.adobe.com/page/r5CsjATTEmITd/

16.01.2022 Massive thanks to everyone who attended and presented at our Bring Your Land to Life Field Day event over the weekend. We have a wonderful community here in agriculture, teamwork makes the dreamwork. Hope we can do it all again next year. #bringyourlandtolife... #reefcatchments Thanks again to Glencore for their support of this event

16.01.2022 Mackay and the Whitsundays are already famous for wetting a line, and now an innovative project is underway to give our region’s fish numbers a welcome boost. R...eef Catchments’ ‘Rubble to Reef’ project will involve planting reef habitat modules in the inshore areas of the Mackay and Whitsunday coasts in order to stimulate the growth of all marine life from coral to fish. Reef Catchments CEO Katrina Dent said that the project will work with key regional stakeholders to prioritise the location and deployment of reef habitat modules within the inshore marine environment of the region. "Recreational fishing groups will identify suitable locations to deploy the modules which will provide lasting benefits for the sustainability of regional fish stocks and increase engagement of the recreational fishing community, Ms Dent said. Read the rest in Mackay and Whitsunday Life. Photo: Catchment Solutions fisheries ecologist Matt Moore (left) and Catchment Solutions general manager Andrew Campbell inspect a pyramid reef module.

15.01.2022 STALLHOLDERS, PRESENTATIONS AND DEMONSTRATIONS Announcing our presentations, demonstrations and stallholders for next weekend's Bring Your Land to Life Field Day. Check out our field day program for the day... https://reefcatchments.com.au//bring-your-land-to-life-fi/ Auscan Worm Farms Calibre Aviation Cloudbreak Lowlines Cattle & Eungella Beef Central Queensland Soil Health System RACQ CQ Rescue Glencore Greater Whitsunday Food Network Inc Just Got Laid Poultry Supplies Mackay & District Goat Club MAD Cow Coffee Mackay Mirani Sugar Valley Lions Club Mt Ossa Rural Mackay Whitsunday Isaac Healthy Rivers to Reef Partnership Northern Australia Climate Program Nu-Tank Pioneer Catchment & Landcare Group Inc. Sarina Landcare Catchment Management Assoc. Snap Solar Mackay Community Garden Sarina Landcare Catchment Management Assoc. Whitsunday Catchment Landcare Inc. Worm Hit Pty Ltd

15.01.2022 THANKS TO THE COMMUNITY FOR A GREAT DAY Talks, stalls, demonstrations, equipment, animals, and food come to mind when thinking of the successful Bring your Land to Life field day held last Saturday at the Finch Hatton Showgrounds. Once again Reef Catchments would like to thank attendees and supporters that made the day so enjoyable. #ThanksMackayWater

14.01.2022 LOCKDOWN BRINGS REDUCTION IN LITTER Lock down was good for one thing here in Mackay pollution. Between April and July 2020 we saw a huge reduction in most types of litter throughout the city. The average reduction in cigarette butt litter across the city was 56%, 38% for plastic film remnants and 48% for food packaging.... There was one noted exception at the gross pollutant trap outside of Subway in Sarina. This spot saw higher than average numbers of cigarette butts, foil and plastic film remnants you can see some of the rubbish collected in this picture.

12.01.2022 PICK UP YOUR FREE ASHTRAY TIN Are you a smoker? Would you like an easy way to make sure that your butts don't end up as plastic pollution in our waterways? Then visit the Reef Catchments offices in Mackay or Proserpine, you can collect a free portable ashtray tin which can be used to safely store cigarette butts until you are able to put them in the bin. The "What a load of rubbish!" project is funded by the partnership between the Australian Government’s Reef Trust and the... Great Barrier Reef Foundation, and delivered by Reef Catchments on behalf of the Mackay Local Marine Advisory Committee. Tangaroa Blue #DitchTheFlick #ReefTrust Australian Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment

12.01.2022 We're excited to announce some of the prizes and giveaways available at the upcoming Bring Your Land to Life Field Day...and there's more to come. If you haven't yet got your ticket yet, you can still register with Eventbrite https://www.eventbrite.com.au/o/reef-catchments-17520365025 or phone our office on 4968 4200. Thanks to the generous businesses and organisations who have provided prizes so far Just Got Laid Poultry Supplies P. Comino & Sons Central Queensland Soil Health System Auscan Worm Farms and of course to Glencore for their proud support of this event.

11.01.2022 FRESH CREWS TRAINED IN TOUR OPERATOR WATER QUALITY SAMPLING PROJECT A fresh round of training was carried out last week for tour boat crews taking part in the Whitsunday water quality monitoring citizen science project, Blueprint for Tourism Operators after COVID impacts on the tourism industry led to loss of staff trained earlier in the year. JCU: James Cook University, Australia scientists trained seven staff from tourism operators Ocean Rafting, Red Cat Adventures, and So...Continue reading

11.01.2022 Calling all fisher families - save the date for our next Tilapia fishing comp. This event has been wildly popular over the last few years, and we can't wait to bring it back this September! Tag your friends and family to help us get the word out. More info and the link to register coming soon. ... Potential sponsors are invited to get in touch with Reef Catchments.

11.01.2022 SOIL SYMPOSIUM GETS GREEN LIGHT We have just had word that Reef Catchments' annual Healthy Soil Symposium is going ahead this year on 26 November in Mackay, followed by a field day. Luckily our mastermind guest speaker Graeme Sait of Nutri-Tech Solutions is Queensland based, enabling us to work within current Covid restrictions. Due to Covid, places will be limited so keep a look out for our email invites and webpage announcements coming out closer to the date.... In the meantime, have a listen to his podcast series and get excited for our annual get together. https://podcasts.apple.com//nutrition-farming/id1500903366 If you would like to relisten to Christine Jones presentations from last years Healthy Soil Symposium then hop on Reef Catchments YouTube channel and enjoy - https://www.youtube.com/results Happy learning and experimenting on farm.

10.01.2022 FIELD DAY TO SHOWCASE THE BEST OF OUR SMALL LANDHOLDERS Plans are being made for an extravaganza featuring the best of our local small landholders in the upper Pioneer Valley later this year. The Small Landholder Field Day is being organised by Reef Catchments with support from Glencore and is planned for 24 October at Finch Hatton showgrounds.... Reef Catchments received $70,000 in funding from Glencore to host the event, which will serve as a showcase for landowners working from small properties. Although it is a few months away, Reef Catchments is seeking expressions of interest from organisations and businesses with information, products and services to assist small landholders. Tegan McBride, Sustainable Agriculture Project Officer at Reef Catchments said: This event will be an opportunity for people to talk with industry professionals and listen to presentations about looking after the land and options to diversify income streams. Craig Strudwick, Community Relations Manager for Glencore Coal said: Glencore Coal is committed to investing in the communities that host our mining operations. The Small Landholder Field Day is about building a resilient and diverse community. This $70,000 partnership is part of an annual Community Investment program in which we invest almost $5 million each year to support community groups, events and initiatives across Queensland and NSW communities where we operate. While Glencore is best known for its mining operations, they are also heavily involved in agriculture, particularly grazing. Colinta, the company’s agricultural arm owns and operates significant pastoral properties across the country, including Central Queensland. With 78% of the land we own used for agricultural purposes, we understand the challenges farmers face and the need to provide practical support through initiatives like the Small Landholder Field Day, Mr Strudwick said. For more information, or to arrange to hold a stall on the day, please contact Tegan McBride at Reef Catchments on [email protected] or 0408 904 036.

10.01.2022 As it's NAIDOC Week 2020, we thought we'd share this video about the Saltwater People of our region. "Mother Earth, in more ways than one, connects the First Nations people to everything around her. She ties us and binds us as one. We're all connected, one way or the other."

09.01.2022 A huge welcome to our 2020 Youth Ambassadors! We look forward to working with these seven fabulous young people from Mackay Christian College over the next year. The students and their mentor from Reef Catchments will be working on a mangrove project. Our Youth Ambassadors are responsible for project planning, budgeting, logistics and delivery of activities, meaning they get some real-world experience in project management as a career. Congrats again guys! National Landcare Program #NLP

08.01.2022 On a sad note, here's our tribute to Col Creighton who passed away recently. reefcatchments.com.au/news/vale-colin-creighton/

07.01.2022 Have you ever wondered about seagrass and the place it has within the marine environment? Reef Catchments has prepared a storymap explaining all about seagrass and it's ready for you to view now. https://spark.adobe.com/page/V6HX7rMU1Vp0v/... Seagrass-Watch

04.01.2022 Updated Mackay Naidoc Inc. Virtual Celebrations Schedule 2020

04.01.2022 Why is water quality on the Great Barrier Reef so important, and how on earth do you measure it? In this National Science Week webinar, AIMS’ biological-chemic...al oceanographer Dr Renee Gruber will bring you behind-the-scenes of monitoring water quality on the world’s largest coral reef system through the Marine Monitoring Program and the Integrated Marine Observing System - IMOS. Register here for the August 20 event: https://bit.ly/2DCT6ye The Marine Monitoring Program is a partnership between Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Australian Institute of Marine Science TropWATER and the Cape York Water Monitoring Partnership. #ScienceWeek

04.01.2022 Landholders in the Mackay area have a chance to learn from DNRME staff about your vegetation clearing requirements and options at a vegetation management workshop to be held next week. Follow the link below to join. https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/vegetation-management-works COVID-19 requirements... The current Queensland Government Direction: Stay at home if unwell or have a cough, fever, sore throat, fatigue or shortness of breath. If you become unwell during the event please contact the event organiser, Jessica Sabatino. During the event stay 1.5 metres away from other people - think two big steps.

04.01.2022 It was so nice to work with 50+ polite, enthusiastic students at Mackay North State High School, showing them just how much trash is flowing out of Mackay's streets and into the ocean. As usual there were plenty of interesting things found amongst the litter in the stormwater drains including what looked like a nappy, unopened cans of beer and a live snake!

01.01.2022 What's actually involved in our seagrass monitoring events? We meet near the boat ramp for an introduction on different seagrass species, how to identify them and how to collect the required data. Then we split into teams and head for a short walk across the mudflats to our site. We lay out 50m tapes and collect photos and measurements about species diversity, seagrass coverage, leaf length etc. Whilst taking measurements you can expect to see a range of marine wildlife. Som...e of the critters we've seen at St Helens include: Crabs Gastropods Burrowing sea anemone Dugong feeding tracks Seabirds and shorebirds Pipefish Snake eels Would you like to be involved? There is only space left in our final event on 15th October! No experience is required, just a good pair of zip up reef shoes and sun safe gear. Get in touch with Cass now for more information. [email protected] See more