As part of National Science Week, the Great Barrier Reef Citizen Science Alliance hosted a variety of events up and down the Queensland Coast providing one and all the opportunity to become involved and understand what citizen science contributes to caring for the Reef.

Sponsored by Boeing Australia and Pacific and coordinated by the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, the Citizen Science Alliance day attracted close to 2,000 people participating in a variety of activities from Cairns to the Gold Coast. 

Kicking off in Brisbane early in the week,  The Mangrove Watch D’Art’a exhibition attracted over 70 people interested in a combination of historical and contemporary perspectives of Brisbane River-Moreton Bay mangroves.

From Brisbane city to various locations along the coast on Saturday,  Brisbane’s Corals at Your Doorstep hosted a series of presentations at Wellington Point, providing a holistic overview of the Moreton Bay’s unique environment.   Due to extenuating weather, the guided walk to King Island was postponed –

“Despite the weather and having to cancel the “walk”, 30 people attended the morning presentations and 'talk' session. There was a really positive atmosphere among the group and we were happy to see a diverse spread of people from the community attend - from young people through to retirees” commented Kyra Hay, from the University of Queensland.

Kyra went on to say “A highlight was seeing that after the talks, people were really enthusiastic to explore Moreton Bay and corals at their doorstep - so much so that they requested we host the walk on another day!  We were also invited to work with Cr Paul Bishop to put on a similar event in the future.” 

Ideally the guided walk to King Island will be re-scheduled soon!

Just one hour from Brisbane on the Gold Coast, Care for our Coast Community Science Day at Sea World attracted a great turn out and included stalls, information, sigh up sheets and interactive demonstrations from around 12 different coastal conservation organisations.  

The General Manager from Reef Check Australia, Jenn Loder was pleased with the end result, commenting “All went well, despite some really crummy rainy weather! We had a great range of representation from various groups—everything from mangroves to mantas and corals to clean beaches!” 

Further up the coast in the weather was a little brighter with all events posting positive results.

Science Week at the Heron Island Research Station was a great success, with all three days well-attended and visitors inspired by the displays to become involved in the featured citizen science programs and contribute to the conservation of coral reefs worldwide.   The interactive and educational events included behind the scenes tours of the Research Station labs and facilities, fascinating seminars by research scientists, interactive explorations of local marine life at the touch tank, and engaging displays from Reef Check Australia, Coral Watch, and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority’s Eye on the Reef program.

The Fitzroy Basin Association held the “Great Aussie Creek Crawl” where approximately 40 people took an eco-bus and travelled along Moore’s Creek, monitoring river health, water quality and invertebrates. 

Whilst in Cairns, the Tangaroa Blue Beach Clean-Up & Eye on the Reef hosted a successful day of education and public outreach, registrations and engaging locals and tourists in opportunities for citizen science projects in the region.  Five marine conservation organisations, Tangaroa Blue Foundation, Conservation Volunteers Australia, Minke Whale Project, Cairns Turtle Rehabilitation Centre and Eye on the Reef were involved on the day, providing the opportunity for these organisations to support each other’s efforts and work on further collaboration for marine conservation.

“It was wonderful to see so many people who are passionate about the ocean support these events, not only by donating, but also by volunteering their time” commented Heidi Taylor, Australian Marine Debris Initiative, Tangaroa Blue Foundation.

After a successful afternoon, the group then headed to the Cairns Civic Centre where over 630 people attended the 8th Cairns Underwater Film Festival.  This annual event supports Tangaroa Blue Foundation, the Minke Whale Project and the Cairns Turtle Rehabilitation Centre by donating all proceeds from the festival to these three charities. The audience was provided short presentations by the three charities on their work and how volunteers are involved in these marine conservation projects along the Great Barrier Reef.

For photos and further information on Citizen Science and how to become involved, Click here…

Image courtesy of Fitzroy Partnership for River Health/Fitzroy Basin Association Inc