Every morning, as I set out for a peaceful walk with my furry companion, little did I know that a small aquatic plant would leave a lasting impact on me. It all began when I noticed the vibrant green patches floating on the surface of the nearby creek. Curiosity got the better of me, and I soon discovered that these delicate plants were Amazon frogbit.

With each passing day, as I strolled along the creek, I couldn’t help but observe the expanding presence of the frogbit. The once tranquil water now became partially covered by dense mats of this invasive species. It was both fascinating and concerning to witness its rapid spread.

As I walked, I couldn’t ignore the ecological changes that accompanied the frogbit invasion. The sunlight struggled to penetrate the thick mats, casting a shadow over the underwater world. Native aquatic plants that once thrived were now scarce, their beauty and importance diminished.

While my dog happily explored the surroundings, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of urgency. The negative impact of the frogbit was evident. It disrupted the delicate balance of the ecosystem, affecting the life that depended on the creek’s health.

It saddened me to think about the consequences for the local wildlife. How would this invasive plant affect the fish, frogs, and insects that called this creek home? The disruption caused by the frogbit extended far beyond the water’s surface. It had the potential to disrupt the entire food web and the intricate relationships within the ecosystem.

Walking among the frogbit-infested creek, I realised the importance of all of us taking action. Working on frogbit alongside other key stakeholders has helped me find solace in knowing that my actions are making a difference. The frogbit invasion has transformed my casual stroll into a purposeful mission.

As the fight against Amazonian frogbit continues, your support becomes crucial in sustaining the progress made so far. By donating to CAFNEC, you directly contribute to our work in controlling and managing this invasive species. Together, we can make a tangible difference in protecting our environment and ensuring the long-term sustainability of our ecosystems. Join us today by making a donation to CAFNEC and become a part of the collective effort to create a healthier and more balanced natural habitat for all. Now when I walk my dog each morning, I will see beyond the surface. I will see the interconnectedness of our actions and the impact they have on the environment.

HAVE YOUR SAY AND INFLUENCE ON GROUND ACTION PLANS

CAFNEC has been collecting shoreline video assessment data of estuaries like the Mulgrave in Far North Queensland for a couple of years now. It’s been made possible by our dedicated volunteers and partners to put in hours of fieldwork and resources to establish baseline data and collect new data on an annual basis. With the amount of data we have, we now have the chance to use it to influence some on-ground action to promote thriving mangroves in our tropical community.

What is the purpose of this workshop?

This is a collaborative space to give concerned individuals a chance to have their say and influence plans with locally relevant solutions to estuary-specific problems. We are connecting communities with science practitioners and stakeholders to come to an agreement on a feasible plan that is actionable and measurable. Locals possess knowledge that benefits science and fills historical knowledge gaps that experts may not be able to. We want to create participatory opportunities for those who care about the environment but fear they don’t have the skills or background to contribute to positive outcomes in nature. We want to empower communities to connect with their decision-makers to make more informed land management decisions.

EarthWatch Australia Tidal Wetlands Program Manager Jock Mackenzie will provide recommendations for the Mulgrave River and workshop participants will agree on actionable strategies and identify the necessary actions to resource these plans and implement them in 2023. The workshop will be co-facilitated by CAFNEC and EarthWatch Australia to help guide the process to produce meaningful outcomes at the end of the two days.

This is the third of our in-person Local Action Plan Workshop series. The Trinity Inlet Local Action Plan workshop produced some good strategic outcomes the community can work on and we are excited for what the Mulgrave River Local Action Plan Workshop has in store.

We’re sad to announce that CAFNEC has formally discontinued the Drain Stencil Project and Boomerang Bags.  Boomerang Bags and Drain Stencil Project were projects CAFNEC led to amplify the plastic pollution problem in the Cairns community. On September 1st, 2021 the Queensland Government banned the use of single-use plastic including straws, stirrers, plates, unenclosed bowls, and cutlery, and expanded polystyrene (EPS) takeaway food containers and EPS cups. This new legislation is a win for reducing the amount of plastic pollution in waterways and as a result CAFNEC made the decision to end these two projects and focus on other campaigns.

Drain Stencil Project tought the community that our neighbourhoods are connected to the ocean via the urban stormwater drain system. We brought the community together to spray paint the message “Drains to the Reef” next to our waterways and created informed advocates for our waters, and left a physical, long-lasting message behind for the entire community.

Traveling to schools to engage students in waterway and reef health through art resulted in kids becoming environmental stewards who think about their plastic intake and disposal.

Boomerang Bags was a community-driven initiative tackling plastic pollution at the grassroots level where volunteers got together to make re-useable bags out of recycled material.

We want to celebrate those who dedicated their times to these projects. Thank you for your time and resources to create street art and beautiful bags that can be shared with the Cairns community.

Drain Stencil Project has been handed over to Small World Journeys. Contact Laurie at laurie@nullsmallworldjourneys.com.au if you are interested in this project and would like to participate.

HAVE YOUR SAY AND INFLUENCE ON GROUND ACTION PLANS

CAFNEC has been collecting shoreline video assessment data of estuaries like the Barron River in Far North Queensland for a couple of years now. It’s been made possible by our dedicated volunteers and partners to put in hours of fieldwork and resources to establish baseline data and collect new data on an annual basis. With the amount of data we have, we now have the chance to use it to influence some on-ground action to promote thriving mangroves in our tropical community.

What is the purpose of this workshop?

This is a collaborative space to give concerned individuals a chance to have their say and influence plans with locally relevant solutions to estuary-specific problems. We are connecting communities with science practitioners and stakeholders to come to an agreement on a feasible plan that is actionable and measurable. Locals possess knowledge that benefits science and fills historical knowledge gaps that experts may not be able to. We want to create participatory opportunities for those who care about the environment but fear they don’t have the skills or background to contribute to positive outcomes in nature. We want to empower communities to connect with their decision-makers to make more informed land management decisions.

EarthWatch Australia Tidal Wetlands Program Manager Jock Mackenzie will provide recommendations for the Barron River and workshop participants will agree on actionable strategies and identify the necessary actions to resource these plans and implement them in 2023. The workshop will be co-facilitated by CAFNEC and EarthWatch Australia to help guide the process to produce meaningful outcomes at the end of the two days.

This is the second of our in-person Local Action Plan Workshop series. The Trinity Inlet Local Action Plan workshop produced some good strategic outcomes the community can work on and we are excited for what the Barron River Local Action Plan Workshop has in store.

We’ve been running monitoring sessions in Far North Queensland estuaries since 2019 and will continue to monitor between now at 2023. The data we collect gives us the opportunity to inform on-ground action plans responding to estuary-specific threats. How do we get the data? You’re about to learn what it takes to plan a MangroveWatch monitoring session.

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When is the best time to monitor Mangroves? The dry season. Between April and October are generally the best monitoring times with more predictable weather patterns. So that leaves about 6-7 months to get on the water and collect data. Not so fast. We have to consider the tides. Any good boater will know what the conditions are going to be like before getting on the water. The best tide to go out for MangroveWatch is on a rising tide or sometime around what’s called a neap tide. Neap tide happens twice a month and occurs when high tides are a little lower than average and low tides are a little higher than average. I go to willyweather.com to check on the tides to determine when is the ideal time to monitor. What does this look like? It’s best to start at the mouth of the estuary and travel upstream on a rising tide to avoid running aground or getting stuck in shallow water.

A rising tide may happen in the morning or afternoon and with that, you will have to determine the position of the sun at that time of day. We cannot collect good quality data if we are shooting into the sun because the glare interferes with the picture. It is best to film with the sun on our backs. For example, if the rising tide is in the morning and we are traveling north upstream, we will film on the left side of the boat facing the western shoreline.

After a monitoring plan has been put in place we need to resource a boat and a skipper. CAFNEC does not own a boat for MangroveWatch and unless we have the proper facilities to store one or the time to maintain one we never plan to. We rely heavily on volunteers with their own vessel and boating experience to collect data and if we can’t find anyone to donate a vessel we do budget for vessel hire as a last resort.

Now we begin to recruit Mangrove Champions (dedicated volunteers) for data collection. We have 5 roles necessary to complete shoreline video assessment: boat driver, photographer, videographer, GPS operator, and notetaker (plus me as I teach everyone how to do their roles). It’s good to have 5 people, it’s possible with 4, you can get by with 3 on board and combine jobs if necessary. Generally, volunteers are available on the weekend so we need to find a neap tide that happens on a weekend (or close to it) to make the most of the conditions and give volunteers enough time to practice and collect a substantial amount of data.

A few days before we offer a training workshop, we need to make sure the equipment is charged, there is enough space on the memory cards, and we have enough blank data sheets and cheat sheets to guide the process. Don’t forget the first aid kit as well.

After we recruit Champions, we offer a PowerPoint training session as an introduction to the program so that participants feel more prepared to collect the data and identify threats and values in the mangroves more easily. 

There have been times when MangroveWatch has been planned for weeks, sometimes months, in advance and then a sudden rainstorm develops the day before and is projected to last for a few more days. We can’t control the weather or the moon so we just reschedule and adapt to the situation. This year has been a demonstration of how climate change has impacted CAFNEC’s ability to do its citizen science work. The wet season usually ends in early April but this year it lasted through May and impacted our monitoring schedule. MangroveWatch is more enjoyable with sunny conditions and no rain to damage the equipment or dampen spirits.

If the conditions are good and we have enough volunteers and resources, a successful MangroveWatch is guaranteed. Volunteers make our work possible so we can always benefit from having locals participate in our work. Volunteers don’t have to have any scientific background or experience, we will teach you everything!

Now into our third year, the Community Organising and Leadership Program has evolved to ensure longevity and sustainbility in our core group of leaders. CAFNEC has identified 20 committed leaders  who are volunteering across various areas of the organisation, This year, our program, is supporting them in their role to show up as leaders, to be empowered and empower others to take action.

In April 2022, our committed leaders joined myself, and Lucy for their very first workshops for the year. Workshop one was divided into three separate sessions, with a longer face-to-face session, and two online sessions. The face-to-face session focused on relational meetings, personal narrative and facilitation. While the online sessions focused on leadership and coaching. 

Our face-to-face session provided our leaders with an opportunity to connect with, and learn more about their peers. It provided a space to feel part of something bigger, build a container, and create a foundation for ongoing peer-to-peer support. 

Our online sessions, although a new way of teaching for us, were an effective means of ensuring all our leaders from across multiple areas of our region were able to have access. 

Thanks to a generous donation, we were able to support our leaders with their ongoing learning by giving them each the Dare to Lead book by Brene Brown. Our leaders have been tasked to read this book section-by-section in the lead up to our bi-monthly leaders meetings, where their learnings are reflected upon, and deep understandings of themselves and how they work with others, is fostered.

 Through training, coaching and connection we are creating a strong foundational group of courageous individuals who are working together to ensure the long-term protection of our natural environment.

I am excited to announce that applications are open to become a Core Trainer as part of CAFNEC’s Community Organising and Leadership Program in 2021, and I am inviting individuals to apply.  

Would you like to strengthen your knowledge and skills, and build upon your resources in campaigning, advocacy and community organising? 

Would you like to become part of a group of like-minded individuals, and build your connections with your community, and other environmental groups in Far North Queensland? 

Are you someone who would love to empower your community, and be able to share your knowledge and provide the skills and resources needed for others to take effective action for the protection of our natural environment?

Would you like to make real long term impact to ensure the ongoing protection of our beautiful and unique natural environment in Far North Queensland?

Then don’t hesitate. Apply today!

To find out more about the role and commitment of our core trainers, please have a read of our Information Pack.  Applications for the 2021 Program are open until the 22nd January @ 5pm AEST. Interviews will be conducted the 2nd week of February, commencing Monday 8th February.

If you know someone who might be interested please share this with them. For more information do not hesitate to email me, Aisha, at getinvolved@nullcafnec.org.au.

I look forward to protecting our beautiful natural environment alongside you again this year!

Aïsha de Barros Lopes
Community Organiser