News

The health and wellbeing of our community is of utmost importance and Georges Riverkeeper is closely monitoring the advice and adhering to the directives of public health agencies to help stem the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) in our community.

To address any concerns you may have regarding Coronavirus and recreational use of the Georges River, please refer to the latest information and advice provided by NSW Health:

Are you a teacher looking for fun way to teach kids about water? We’ve got some great FREE resources for Stage 3 educators, including NEW topic starters to make lesson planning easy.

Green Valley Creek is one of the five major creeks that traverse the Fairfield City Council Local Government Area. The vegetation on the floodplains bordering these creek has historically included Cumberland Riverflat Forest which was extensively cleared as Sydney expanded and is now listed as an endangered community. Fairfield Council has been doing a great job restoring these riparian areas over several decades. One recent addition has been at Barook Park.

Five years is not a long time in river time, but this month Georges Riverkeeper's Aquatic Ecologist, Dr. David Reid is marking 5 years as a Riverkeeper. We don't sing the praises of those working for this organisation often enough. So, we thought it timely to give special mention to Dave for all his hard work. We also hope it gives you some background into how Georges Riverkeeer's programs have been developed.

Georges Riverkeeper has begun assisting with shorebird monitoring. We are working with The Australasian Wader Studies Group (AWSG) which is a special interest group of BirdLife Australia that focuses studies on waders, or shorebirds, in Australia and throughout their migration routes in the Asia Pacific.

The Get the Site Right campaign in June will increase awareness of the dangers of runoff from building sites impacting the environment and encourage developers, builders and home renovators to implement appropriate erosion and sediment controls.

The campaign is kicking off in response to an increase in home renovation and DIY projects during the COVID-19 isolation period as well as several large construction projects that are expected to commence in coming months.

Georges Riverkeeper's partnership with NSW Department of Justice - Corrective Services helps to remove litter that slips through the collection stream and into the environment.

Work has been put on hold since mid-March, however, with COVID-19 restrictions beginning to ease, the partnership is set to resume soon, with an increase in the total area covered by the program.

Georges River Council's large-scale landscape and stormwater naturalisation project within Lower Gannons Park is nearing completion. This includes the former Boggy Well Creek being diverted from an underground stormwater pipe to a reinstated creek. The water will flow through constructed wetlands, swales and bioretention systems, where it will be treated to remove pollutants.

Georges Riverkeeper has been helping Sutherland Shire Council maintain the predator-free sand island constructed in Woolooware Bay. The island's purpose is to provide a safe habitat for shorebird roosting and nesting.

This is the ideal spot for this island as it serves as a sandy haven, unaffected by high tides, for many of the migratory birds that come from as far away as Siberia, China and Japan to feed on the intertidal flats around Towra Point Nature Reserve nearby.