Group chair Matthew Carroll says the group only kicked into gear in August last year, and Sunday’s workshop was the first significant public event since then.
They had no idea how many people were going to show up, and were very pleased with the turnout at Camp Rangi Woods at Totara Reserve.
The event began with a freshwater quality assessment by Massey University freshwater ecology professor Dr Russell Death, who lives in the area.
Death says when it comes to waterway health, the buck stops with individuals.
“If you are concerned about your waterways, it’s up to you to do something about it,” Death said.
To help those at the workshop assess the health of rivers and streams in their area, Death handed out a stream health checklist designed for landowners to help them assess critical aspects of their waterway as an indication of its current level of ecological health.
The assessment can be used to identify management practices to help improve the waterway’s ecosystem health.
He says if there are problems, they should work out what they are first, then ways to solve them. There was little point spending money fencing off waterways from stock if the real problem was something else entirely.
Carroll says the group is currently testing water at 11 sites in the area, all of which is fully-funded by dedicated locals, a cost of about $650 a month.
Horizons Regional Council has another two testing sites in the catchment.
The aim is to collect three years’ worth of data to get a better understanding of waterway trends in the catchment.
Other presenters included Horizons fish passage team member Nina Robb, Te Mauri o Rangitāne o Manawatū Te Ao Turoa environmental officer Paul Horton, Trees for Bees botanist and trustee Dr Linda Newstrom-Lloyd and Ruahine Whio Protectors volunteer Ian Rasmussen.
