Wetlands

Join us to celebrate World Wetlands Day 2011

Every year, the Emu Park Community Bushcare Group help run a community event to celebrate World Wetlands Day at Bicentennial Lagoon in Emu Park.

This year’s event also coincides with the 10 year anniversary of our group (which all began with caring for our local wetland! see section on Bicentennial Lagoon below). So we’ve got plenty of reasons to celebrate.

Learn more about World Wetland Day 2011 Community Day at Emu Park on Sunday 13 February.

As in previous years, the group is working with a large number of other community groups and the council to run this free community event at Bicentennial Lagoon, including information displays, native plant giveaways, kids activities, guest speakers and a free sausage sizzle. Why not join in the fun and maybe learn something about wetlands too?

Officially, World Wetlands Day is celebrated on February 2, to commemorate the date of the adoption of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands in 1971. This year is the 40th anniversary of this important agreement, which has helped ensure the sustainability of many internationally significant wetlands that provide ecosystem services for our community, and habitat for plants, animals and especially migratory birds.

Emu Park Community Bushcare Group recognises the importance of wetlands. Some important functions of wetlands include:

• They provide habitats for plants and animals
• They act as kidneys in the system and help filter and cleanse our water
• They can help mitigate floods
• They are beautiful and unique spots ideal for recreation and relaxation.

Bicentennial Lagoon

Back in 2000, Bicentennial Park in Emu Park had degraded and denuded areas, including a salt scald. Capricorn Coast Landcare Group led a local revegetation project where students, families, groups and politicians got their hands dirty to plant 3,600 trees. The project actually inspired the formation of the Emu Park Community Bushcare Group, which has gone on to plant 8,000 plants in the area and rehabilitate the lagoon.  Bushcare members also monitor water quality in the lagoon.