IT’S MACRO Muster time and the organising environmental charity, OzGREEN, is inviting residents to participate.

The citizen science event in Bellingen takes place on Friday 20 October from 4:00pm until 6:30pm, followed by a free community dinner.

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Held in the Luncheon Pavilion at Bellingen Showground, the event is suitable for people aged eight and up.

OzGREEN’s Bellingen Riverwatch’s Program Manager, Amy Denshire, told News Of The Area, “This unique opportunity will encourage people who love rivers, science or the environment to dive into the fascinating world of macroinvertebrates and learn about the very important role they play in keeping our rivers and our critically endangered species healthy.”

Described as highly inclusive and highly interactive, the Macro Muster aims to bring people together to contribute to a meaningful cause.

Experienced scientists and community mentors will work alongside participants to collect and identify waterbugs.

The number and types of waterbugs found will tell a story about how healthy the river is and identify certain types of waterbugs which are important for the diet of the critically endangered Bellinger River Snapping Turtle.

“This event is a fantastic opportunity for friends and families to come together for a hands-on experience that not only connects them with nature but also empowers them to keep our rivers healthy,” Amy said.

“To show our gratitude to our community, we will also be offering a free thank-you dinner afterwards so participants can get to know each other.

“The dinner is an optional waterbug masquerade, where you can wear a mask to look like your favourite waterbug – for a bit of fun,” she said.

OzGREEN’s macroinvertebrate monitoring program is the largest of its kind in Australia and the upcoming event is an excellent opportunity for people in the Bellingen Shire to demonstrate their commitment to protecting their rivers, which are some of the healthiest rivers in Australia.

“This event aims to create a statewide network of people who understand how to care for their rivers.

“We would love people from other areas to join us so that they can learn how to care for their rivers and monitor macroinvertebrates in their communities.”

Dr Tracey MacDonald, Director of Water Wetlands and Coastal science at the Department of Planning and Environment (DPE) said, “DPE is really supportive of the Bellingen macroinvertebrate monitoring program as it’s a fabulous opportunity to connect our science and community science which builds better outcomes for the environment.”

The DPE has recently released the Bellinger River Health Program 2017-2022 on the SEED portal so that anyone can access this data.

For more information, visit www.ozgreen.org/macromuster.

By Andrea FERRARI