BMRG and WetlandCare Australia recently hosted a morning at Baldwin Swamp for twenty Year 11 and 12 students from North Bundaberg High School. The students were studying Biodiversity as part of their curriculum and had the brilliant idea of utilising the Baldwin Swamp wetlands as an outdoor learning centre for the day. Staff from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority were also on-site to lend a hand and it was a morning thoroughly enjoyed by both students and partner organisations alike.

The students studied the role that Baldwin Swamp performs in filtering and capturing urban runoff from Bundaberg’s CBD before it hits the Burnett River downstream.  An important job, as water from the Burnett River then enters the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. They also studied some of the threatening processes currently relevant to this wetland, such as its lack of riparian buffer zones, human disturbance factors such as pollutants, sediments and rubbish. Students learnt that increased nutrients from urban and agricultural runoff can increase weed growth and Baldwin Swamp is threatened by invasion of several aquatic weed species including Salvinia and Water Hyacinth. Changes to the hydrology of the system have also caused blockages to fish passage and lack of education and information in the past have meant adjacent protected saltwater marine zones have been damaged and neglected.

The students formed three groups with each undertaking macro-invertebrate sampling to obtain an idea of water quality of the wetlands, water quality monitoring to check the pH, temperature, turbidity and dissolved oxygen levels of the wetland water to assess its quality and a wetland walk and talk to discuss issues pertinent to this urban wetland system.

The students also spent time looking at the work that Bundaberg Regional Council, BMRG, Conservation Volunteers Australia, Green Army and St Josephs School undertook last National Schools Tree Day, when they planted 2500 trees to help form a riparian buffer zone along Saltwater Creek. These trees are thriving thanks to the support and maintenance of Bundaberg Regional Council staff and Green Army participants.

 

 

 

 

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