We are a group of teachers, scientists, students and community members who are concerned for the health of Tomahawk Lagoon. Algal blooms occur in both the upper and lower Tomahawk Lagoons and water quality is often poor, yet little water quality data exists and no regular monitoring is undertaken. To bridge this gap, we collect robust environmental data and monitor water quality every two weeks to inform the community on the current health and trends in water quality at the lagoon.
Formed by Programme Leader Andrew Innes in 2015, the initiative is funded through the Curious Minds Participatory Science Platform and has an active group of Intermediate and High School students who are learning hands-on water quality monitoring techniques, freshwater ecology and undertaking chemical analyses on collected water samples.
The Project Objectives are:
- To investigate the key physical, chemical and biological aspects needed to be monitored in order to evaluate the water quality/environmental health of Tomahawk Lagoon.
- To develop a robust data base needed to write an environmental report card for this ecosystem in an accessible and meaningful way.
- To train community groups (both school and other groups) in water quality monitoring and investigate ways to support other groups in future through provision of protocols, loan of equipment and experts for training and assessment of data quality and interpretation.
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Tomahawk Lagoon Citizen Science Team 