Moreton Bay and Gold Coast (SE Qld): 22 - 25 November 2007

On Saturday, 24th, Seagrass-Watch HQ conducted a workshop at the Capalaba/Redlands Baseball Club. Particpants from throughout SEQ attended, including Noosa Seagrass-Watch local coordinator Lee King and Tara Kingsbury. Carla Sbrocchi and Jane Smith from the Community Environment Network (NSW) also flew in to attend.  The afternoon field session moved to Wellington Point.  The site is comprised of Mud/Sand and has a lush Zostera Capricorni dominated meadow with patches of Halophila ovalis. Click Here to download the Workshop feedback pdf .

Gecko House was the venue for the morning session of the Seagrass-Watch Gold Coast Workshop. Gecko House is on the banks of Currumbin Creek and houses office/ library/ workspace and volunteer kitchen/lounge downstairs and the meeting hall upstairs for Gold Coast and Hinterland Environment Council Assn. Inc (Gecko).

The workshop included lessons on seagrass identification, background on seagrass ecology and importance, and how to monitor seagrasses using the Seagrass-Watch protocols.

The afternoon field session moved to Currumbin Creek, where the 3 transects were run parallel to the shore, a little different to the standard Seagrass-Watch monitoring methods.  Click Here to download the Workshop feedback pdf

	Capalaba/Wellington Pt (Moreton Bay) 24 November 2007
	Currumbin (Gold Coast) 25 November 2007

 

Broome (WA): 01-02 September 2007

Over the weekend of Shinju Matsuri (Japanese for "Festival of the pearl) and “stairway to the moon”, Len conducted a Seagrass-Watch training workshop jointly hosted by Environs Kimberley and the Department of Environment and Conservation, with local coordination by Danielle Bain. On the Saturday afternoon, 14 participants learnt seagrass biology, ecology, identification, and Seagrass-Watch monitoring. Early on the Sunday morning, partipants ventured onto the sand flats of Roebuck Bay to put their newly learnt skills into practice, by monitoring a site (RO1). The morning was finished with a morning tea and vanilla slices.  Click Here to download the Workshop feedback pdf

 

Whitsunday (Qld), Workshop: 14 July 2007

On Saturday July 14th Seagrass-Watch HQ ran a workshop to provide training for new participants and a refresher for those who currently participate. The workshop, held at QPWS Whitsunday Information Centre Airlie Beach included lessons on seagrass identification, background on seagrass ecology and importance, and how to monitor seagrasses using the Seagrass-Watch protocols.

The field component was held at Pioneer Bay, where sites PI3 and PI4 were monitored.  The day was wrapped up with a special presentation to Margaret Parr (Seagrass-Watch's longest-serving volunteer and local coordinator). Jan Jarrat MP, presented Margaret with a special gift and certificate.  She also paid tribute to Margaret’s dedication and her commitment to Seagrass-Watch. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bolinao (Philippines): 9-10 April 2007

As part of the UNEP/GEF South China Sea Project, a Seagrass-Watch training workshop was hosted by the Bolinao Seagrass Deomonstration Site at the University of the Philippines’ Bolinao Marine Laboratory with the assistance of Seagrass-Watch HQ.

The project recognises the ecological and economic roles of seagrasses in Bolinao, and that the maintenance of their ecology and integrity will, in both the long and short term contribute to uplifting the lives of the citizens of this municipality.   Approximately 30 local participants attended.

The workshop gave the participants a thorough understanding of seagrass ecosystems, improved their capacity to monitor their seagrass resources, and empowered them to take ownership of their local marine resources and take a role in initiatives to protect, conserve and maintain the resources.

 

Singapore workshop : 24-25 March 2007

  Seagrass-Watch HQ together with TeamSeagrass and NParks Singapore, held a Seagrass-Watch training workshop, at NP biodiverstiy Centre. The 30 or so participants were given presentations on seagrass identification, ecology, importance, threats and the Seagrass-Watch program.

The field component to the workshop on the 24th was a trip to Pulau Semakau. Pulau Semakau is located to the south of mainland Singapore, off the Straits of Singapore.  The island was formed by the amalgamation of the then much smaller Pulau Semakau and Pulau Sakeng. Pulau Semakau is Singapore's first offshore landfill and now the only remaining landfill in Singapore. Semakau Landfill is filled mainly with inert ash produced by Singapore's four incineration plants, which incinerate the country's waste, shipped there in a covered barge (to prevent the ash from get blown into the air) every night.  Team Seagrass has 3 sites located on the island.

A 40min boat trip from the mainland, then a short bus ride and a quick trek through a dense tropical forest, brings you to the sites. Here participants were given a run through of monitoring techniques before they split into 3 groups to monitor the sites.

 

 

 

Townsville (Qld)workshop : 18 March 2007

A Seagrass-Watch Awareness and Training Workshop held in Townsville, was supported by Burdekin Dry Tropics Natural Resource Management, Marine and Tropical Sciences Research Facility and Rainforest Research Centre and the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries. The workshop presented by Seagrass-Watch HQ. A classroom theory session on Seagrass biology and ecology was followed by a lab session on herbarium speciemens and seagrass identification. The field session followed at Rowes Bay, RB1 , where participants put into practise what they had learned.

 

 

 

Torres Strait (Qld) workshop: 26-28 February 2007

 

Seagrass-Watch HQ visited Torres Strait in late February to conduct a training workshop with Torres Strait Land and Sea rangers and monitor new (Hammond island) and existing (Thursday and Horn Islands) sites. The training workshop was attended by the Kaiwalagal Indigenous Rangers from Horn Island, Hammond Island Indigenous Rangers, Hammond Island Nursery, and Miya Isherwood (Regional Natural Resource Management Facilitator, TSRA). Participants were taught Seagrass-Watch monitoring methods, seagrass identification and trained in using GPS.

The field component of the workshop was over 2 days. Day 1 was on Horn Island with the Kaiwalagal Indigenous Rangers, who have adopted the Horn Island site, HI1. Day 2 of the field component was on Hammond Island, where the Hammond Island Indigenous Rangers anddHammond Island Nursery together with Seagrass-Watch HQ established a new site at Corner Beach, HD1.

 

 

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Correct citation: McKenzie, LJ., Yoshida, RL. & Coles, RG. (2006 - 2012). Seagrass-Watch. www.seagrasswatch.org. 228pp. Disclaimer: The views expressed on this site are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Queensland Government. Website designed by McKenzie, LJ., Yoshida, RL.