Port Curtis Waterwatch, in association with the Port Curtis Catchment Working Group, the Fitzroy Basin Association, and our numerous corporate sponsors has achieved a wide variety of outcomes in the 2004-5 financial year.
We held 25 monitoring workshops, covering 11 primary schools and 2 high schools. We also gained funding through the Department for Natural Resources and Mines Resource Week grants to hold a special workshop just for teachers. Other community sectors covered were a workshop with the Girl Guides, and continued involvement in the 3 day Science Challenge: an intensive workshop with Year 11 students, which involved water testing along Tigalee Creek.
Our annual poster competition gained 486 entries from 10 local primary schools, and with corporate sponsorship we were able to use the winning artwork to create 1536 calendars which were distributed to the local community and proved as popular as ever. A presentation ceremony was held in Water Week with the mayors of Gladstone and Calliope Shire in attendance to hand out certificates and prizes. 11 of the 13 winning students attended.
A Catchment Crawl through the Calliope catchment was held on 17 October to mark the start of Water Week. 20 people attended. Thanks to Conservation Volunteers Australia for the loan of buses and drivers.
Toadbusters had its most successful season ever with 119 individual volunteers attending 13 sessions in which a total of 4785 adult toads were removed from two urban breeding areas in Gladstone. Each session recorded an enviable average of 23 volunteers, showing that the program is well supported in the local community.
We also held our usual displays at Ecofest (World Environment Day) and at Stocklands Kin Kora (Water Week) and produced 4 issues (400 copies) of our Wriggly Rag newsletter. All in all, a very productive 12 months!
