Organising a monitoring group
Existing groups
Your decision to become involved in local waterway monitoring may have been due to a variety of reasons, and there will certainly be others in your community who share your interest in waterway monitoring. Interested parties could include other local residents and landholders, schools, community-based catchment groups, your local council, your local water authority, your regional natural resource management (NRM) body and state government agencies.
Before starting any waterway monitoring activities, you should first identify whether any existing community-based groups in your area share your interest. It is much easier to enlist an existing group than to set up your own. Some groups may already have skills and experience (or have access to other experts) in waterway monitoring that they can share with you. Even if your local community NRM group is not currently involved in waterway monitoring, they may be keen to establish a new project.
To identify relevant community NRM groups in your area, see Regional contacts, or:
- Queensland Water and Landcarers Inc. – www.landcareqld.org.au
- Your Regional Natural Resource Management (NRM) body – www.regionalnrm.qld.gov.au
- Your local council – see the Department of Local Government, Sport and Recreation website – www.localgovernment.qld.gov.au
- Your local agricultural industry association
Starting your own group
If you are interested in setting up your own group and monitoring program, the first step is to identify the human, financial, and expert resources available. Ask yourself the following:
- Who are the good organisers in your area?
- Who knows the waterway?
- Who knows how to raise funds for your project?
Involving others
Consult with people who use the waterway and live on the waterway, as well as catchment committees, water authorities, local businesses, local councils, schools and your regional NRM group, and tell them about your plans.
It is worthwhile to hold a public meeting made up of a broad range of community members and groups who share your interest. Use this meeting to guide the formation and development of your group’s activities. The input of many contributors will build a strong foundation for your group.
Skills and expertise
Be clear about the requirements asked of group members and how much time will be involved. Identify useful skills and experience within the group, such as technical skills in monitoring or on-ground rehabilitation of the waterway.
Identify possible sources of expert technical advice and training, and begin to build relationships with these sources. The most likely source of local expertise is your regional NRM body. Your local council, state government agency, university or even other community-based groups with extensive experience in waterway monitoring may also be able to provide advice and training.
Queensland Water and Landcarers (Inc.) can provide valuable advice on how to establish your own group, such as accessing establishment grants and insurance cover – www.landcareqld.org.au.
The Queensland Government regional NRM website is also useful for information on finding or establishing a community NRM group –www.regionalnrm.qld.gov.au/get_involved/community_groups.
Last updated 19 February 2008
