Setting sights on river health
Setting sights on river health
All aboard for the Upper Richmond Creek Crawl exploring weeds, erosion challenges and restoration efforts
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The issue
An Ecohealth report conducted in 2014 marked the Richmond River in Northern NSW with a concerning D+ result. This assessment considered water quality, riparian condition, geomorphic condition and aquatic macroinvertebrates. The deep pools, rocky bottom and abundant fish of the late 1800’s have largely been lost to the impacts of removal of riparian vegetation, bank erosion and silt sedimentation. Today, the vigour of vine weeds along the river banks are a major obstacle in the restoration efforts.
The solution
Richmond Landcare and Border Ranges Richmond Valley Landcare Network, as the umbrella groups for Landcare across the Richmond Catchment, joined their voices to call folk aboard for a creek crawl! With a bus full of people and a few extra cars in tow we worked our way up the catchment, following the story of the Richmond River from its midpoint at Casino to the headwaters surrounding Mt Lindsay visiting degraded riverbank areas and sites under best practice management. Speakers across the day included local landholders and Landcare groups, experts from Soil Conservation Service, Local Land Services, Department of Primary Industries, OzFish Australia, local Councils, National Parks and Wildlife Services and more.
The impact
This multi-stop return tour helped passengers understand the risk that creek line weeds like Cats Claw Creeper and Madeira Vine pose and explained how to best restore the function of the riparian zone. We heard from landholders gearing up for the good fight defending their native vegetation and got a back stage pass to some of the Upper Richmond's most interesting creek sites. We celebrated collaborations with a delicious long table lunch on a dairy farm at the top of the catchment.
The activity was supported by the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Landcare NSW Incorporated through funding received from the Established Pest Animals and Weeds Initiative.
Key facts
- 7 sites visited
- 18 different speakers
- 65 people participating