Projects & Activities
Valley Ponds Wetland Events
The Valley Ponds is an ACT Government funded wetland project in Gungahlin, located across the road from Burgmann Anglican School, and behind the Scouts Hall on The Valley Ave. Three linked ponds will be constructed incorporating an existing wetland.
The Valley Ponds will bring with them a range of benefits.
They will provide wonderful outdoor educational opportunities for the local schools, community groups, and general public. There will be accompanying signage to help people understand the plant and bird species that will find their home in the wetlands. There will be opportunities for the community to get involved in Waterwatch and Frogwatch activities.
THE VALLEY PONDS COMMUNITY EVENTS
PUBLIC WORKSHOP
DATE: 7-8pm TUESDAY 3 AUGUST
Learn more about this exciting project which involves the planned construction of three ponds on The Valley Avenue, behind the Scout Hall. Come along to discuss your ideas.
VENUE: Burgmann Anglican School Chapel, The Valley Ave (cnr Gungahlin Drive)
WONDROUS WORLD OF WETLANDS WEEKEND
DATE: 11am–2pm SUNDAY 29 AUGUST
An awareness raising event to celebrate National Biodiversity Month (September), and the International Year of Biodiversity. The theme will be wetlands and the benefits they bring, especially in improving urban biodiversity to the community. There will be free family entertainment, food and fun, including face painting, reptile display, games and indigenous smoking ceremony.
VENUE: The Gungahlin Scout Hall, The Valley Ave.
TOUR DE WETLANDS BIKE RIDE
DATE: 9am SUNDAY 17 OCTOBER
Community bike ride from The Valley Ponds site to nearby wetlands. Refreshments provided. All riders must wear bike helmets. Bookings required, contact the Community Engagement Officer.
GUNGAHLIN PUBLIC LIBRARY
DISPLAY (National Water Week)
DATE: 17–23 OCTOBER
Come visit our exciting information display. Bring the kids along to story time on Thursday 10.30am 21 October to learn more about wetland critters and meet some water bugs.
VENUE: Gungahlin Public Library
CONTACT US
Hilary Thomson, Community Engagement Officer
Department of the Environment, Climate Change, Energy and Water
Email:
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Phone: 02 6207 5849 / 0422 021 078
For more information please visit
www.environment.act.gov.au/water/constructed_wetlands
Parks, Conservation and Lands target serrated tussock
Parks, Conservation and Lands (PCL) have commenced a program of spraying the noxious weed of national significance serrated tussock (Nassella trichotoma) in both Mullgans Flat and Goorooyarroo Nature Reserves.
The weed forms a dense tussock, and has the potential to out-compete native grasses, with each plant producing up to 100,000 seeds. The grass is mostly unpalatable to stock and wildlife and rapidly colonises bare ground. The plant can live for more than 20 years.
Bike Ride Through Mulligans Flat
Come and enjoy a bike ride through Mulligans Flat. Ranger Grant Woodbridge will be leading the bikeride and will take us on a heritage tour through the reserve. Because we will be with a ranger we will be taken on special routes through the reserve that are not bike accessible for the general public.
When: 26th July at 1pm
Where: Mulligans Flat, meeting place TBA
Bring: Your bike, helmet, water
Waterwatch
Nominate a Gungahlin site for Waterwatch!
The Ginninderra Catchment Group is expanding its Waterwatch program across Gungahlin! Waterwatch is a community water monitoring program that engages and supports local community groups, residents, schools and landowners to regularly monitor the water quality of local creeks, wetlands, lakes, rivers and drainage lines. Currently the only site being monitored in Gungahlin is Gungahlin Pond, and we want YOU to nominate more sites for monitoring. You could name a favourite spot that you’d like to see kept in good nick, or a site where you think water quality is poor and needs attention. Sites can be within suburbs, nature reserves or any open space in the Gungahlin region. Simply This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it us to name your site!
Wily Water Weeds Workshop
The Ginninderra Catchment Group, which is home to your catchment's Landcare Coordinator, Waterwatch Coordinator and the ACT Frogwatch Coordinator, is interested in running a short workshop on the identification of water weeds in Gungahlin, and to conduct a broader survey of the infested and clean ponds in spring when the weeds are flowering. We would like to hear from members of the community who may be interested in assisting with the monitoring of the ponds for these aquatic weed species or simply attending workshops to learn more on their identification and management, in order to effectively manage these known infestations and to assist in the prevention of further outbreaks in surrounding lakes and ponds of new suburbs.