This booklet is designed to act as a resource booklet for a field trip into the Gunbower forest, however, it should also be useful for schools studying environmental watering and wetlands in other areas. I have also uploaded a second booklet, a field work booklet, which contains student tasks. Not working properly? Try this link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B11DeM9q7KJCaF9mMDFwWUF2NTg/edit?usp=sharing

1. Gunbower
Forest
Environmental
Watering
Field
Trip
Structure of the day
9:10am depart from St. Joseph’s College, Echuca
10:00am begin field trip
Location 1: Hipwell Road Regulator.
o Infrastructure works investigation.
o Annotated field sketch.
o Purpose and values
Location 2: Yarran Creek Regulator and fish passage.
o Infrastructure works investigation.
o Annotated field sketch.
o Water quality testing.
o Purpose and values
Location 3: Reedy Lagoon
o Canoeing
o Water quality testing.
o Food webs and biotic relationships.
o Ecosystems: biodiversity and productivity calculations.
o Purpose and values
o Timelines
2:10pm depart from Reedy Lagoon
3:10pm arrive St. Joseph’s College
Note: to drive to the Hipwell Road Regulator (from Echuca) turn North onto
O’Reilly Rd from the Murray Valley Highway after Leitchville. This road veers
left to become Cohuna Island Rd. which runs along Gunbower Creek takes
you directly to the Hipwell Rd. regulator. See the National Parks map.
Equipment:
Plankton nets, white trays, magnifying glasses, ice cube trays, Vernier water
quality testing probes (pH, EC, temp), turbidity tubes (NCCMA) quadrats, tape
measures.
YOU ARE ENCOURAGED TO TAKE PHOTOGRAPHS AND INCLUDE
THEM IN YOUR REPORT ON THIS EXCURSION BACK AT SCHOOL.
1

2. Activities
Infrastructure works investigation
How does water move through the forest and where does it come from?
Map: draw a simple map showing the pathway water used in environmental
watering takes from Torrumbarry Weir till it re-enters the Murray River. Include
a field sketch of one piece of infrastructure.
Annotate your sketch to show the height difference between the height of
water at Torrumbarry Weir and where it re-enters the Murray.
How much water is used in environmental watering?
Find out the total volume of water
used and returned to the river in the
environmental watering.
Find out what percentage of water
used returns to the river?
Why do we have river regulation and what effect does it have on the
environment? (Refer to resource booklet graph on p…).
Environmental watering is controlled by humans, how does it compare to the
timing and duration of floods that have been happening since the river has
been regulated?
What time of the year does the river flood without regulation?
2

3. Fisheries management
Find out what effect environmental watering can have on fish breeding
(especially Murray cod and European carp)?
Blackwater
Blackwater: what is it and when does it happen?
Is black water always harmful to fish and the river ecosystem?
Under what conditions is black water
low in oxygen?
Under what conditions is black water
high in oxygen?
What can be done to ensure that a harmful black water event is not caused?
3

4. Student worksheet 4.2 cont.
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Explain your answer.
7 Scientists made an interesting observation at weirs such as the one at Torrumbarry:
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to pass downstream over or through barriers.
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as the Torrumbarry Weir shown in this photograph.
Torrumbarry Weir facing downstream
93 | The Murray-Darling Basin Balancing the priorities of agriculture and the environment
© Discover Murray River, www.MurrayRiver.com.au
Fish movements study: Murray River
4

5. Student worksheet 4.2
Fish movements study: Murray River
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species, migrate large distances at times more than 60–80 kilometres downstream of their usual range.
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b) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
c) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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© O’Connor et al
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
89 | The Murray-Darling Basin Balancing the priorities of agriculture and the environment
% Seasonal movement
Season
Natives
Introduced
summer autumn winter spring
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5

6. Water quality testing
Chemical / physical tests for water quality:
Test for dissolved oxygen, temperature, nutrients, pH, turbidity, salinity.
Record and discuss your results.
Location 1 Location 2
Air temp
Amount of shade
Water depth
Water flow
Water temp
pH
EC units
Dissolved oxygen
turbidity
Using the table on the following pages
determine the water quality of each location.
Location 1: ______________
ex good fair poor degraded
Location 2: ______________
ex good fair poor degraded
6

7. Biological tests for water quality:
Catch macro-invertebrates. Record and discuss your results.
Following the directions from Stream Watch on how to sample for
invertebrates. After ten minutes of capturing and sorting, use the photographs
in the resource booklet to identify and count the macro invertebrates that you
have captured.
Fill in the water bug survey results sheet
How would you rate the health of the locations tested?
Biological test of water quality.
Yarran regulator Reedy Lagoon
Suggests
toxic
pollution or
poor habitat
Suggests
pollution Suggests
high salinity
or nutrient
levels
Suggests
good
habitat and
water
quality
Suggests
toxic
pollution or
poor habitat
Suggests
pollution Suggests
high salinity
or nutrient
levels
Suggests
good
habitat and
water
quality
Comments and observations:
How would you rate the biodiversity of
this ecosystem?
What criteria did you use to decide
this?
ex good fair poor degraded
7

8. iMPORTANT
sAMPLE ALL HABITATS IN THE CREEK TO OBTAIN THE MAXIMUM BIODIVERSITY OF BUGS LIVING IN THE
CREEK. iF PRESENT, HABITATS SAMPLED SHOULD INCLUDE:
• EDGE VEGETATION
(PLANTS EMERGING FROM THE
WATER)
PLACE THE NET IN THE
WATER AND DRAG IT
VIGOROUSLY TOWARDS
THE BANK.
• RIFFLE ZONES
(SHALLOW WATER
FLOWING QUICKLY
OVER ROCKS)
PLACE THE NET
DOWNSTREAM, LIFT
ROCKS AND LOGS IN
THE WATER SO THE
BUGS FLOW INTO THE
NET.
• LARGE ROCKS AND LOGS
iF POSSIBLE, LIFT ROCKS
AND LOGS OR RUN
THE NET UNDER
AND AROUND THE
ROCKS AND LOGS
WITHIN THE
WATER.
• PLANTS LIVING UNDER
THE WATER
ffIGOROUSLY RUN THE NET
THROUGH THE PLANTS.
• POOLS
rUN THE NET THROUGH THE
SURFACE, MIDDLE AND
BOTTOM OF THE WATER
COLUMN.
3| USING THE SCOOPING SIEVES AND LARGE SCOOPING NET, COLLECT AS MANY AQUATIC
MACROINVERTEBRATES AS POSSIBLE IN 10 MINUTES AND PLACE THEM IN THE SORTING
TRAYS.
aLTERNATIVELY MACROINVERTEBRATES MAY BE PLACED DIRECTLY INTO A BUCKET CONTAINING
CREEK WATER AND THEN TRANSFERRED CAREFULLY INTO SORTING TRAYS FOR SORTING AFTER
SAMPLING IS FINISHED.
iMPORTANT
fiHILST SAMPLING WILL NEED TO BE
QUITE VIGOROUS TO OBTAIN THE BEST
RESULTS, TRY TO MINIMISE THE IMPACT
ON THE CREEK. iF ROCKS, LOGS OR PLANTS
ARE MOVED BE SURE TO RETURN THEM
TO THEIR ORIGINAL POSITION.
aQUATIC MACROINVERTEBRATES PAGE | 3
8

9. WATERBUG SURVEY Results Sheet
Chessman SIGNAL 2
Stream Pollution Index Stream Quality Rating Calculation Table
USE THIS VERSION ONLY FOR: Alcove/edgewater habitat Murray Darling basin above 400 m elevation; coastal basins of Victoria and NSW; Tasmania
10m of EDGE HABITAT
Group Name:
Group Size:
Survey Site:
Date Sampled:
Step 1: Enter the number of specimens (i.e. how many) of each bug found in column 1 Weight table
Step 2: Refer to the weight table for the correct weight factor for the number found column 1 column 2
Step 3: Enter the correct weight factor for each bug in column 2 No of bug type Weight factor
Step 4: Multiply the weight factor (column 2) by the bug grade (column 3) and enter the answer in column 4 1 – 2
1
1
Step 5: Add up column 2 (weight factors)
3 – 5
2
Step 6: Add up column 4 (bug value x weight factor)
6 – 10
3
Step 7: Divide total column 4 by total column 2 to calculate your SIGNAL score
11 – 20
4
Step 8: Add up the total number of bug types you found (NOT specimens)
20
5
Step 9: Use the interpretation chart to get an indication of the likely condition of your sampling area
WATER BUG TYPE
Column 1
No of
specimens
Column 2
Weight factor
Column 3
Bug grade
Column 4
Weight factor x bug grade
Very sensitive to most pollutants
Stonefly nymph 10
Mayfly nymph 9
Alder fly larva 8
Caddis fly larva 8
Sensitive to most pollutants
Horsehair worm 6
Water mite 6
Moderately tolerant of most pollutants
Beetle or beetle larva 5
Yabby or shrimp 4
Dragonfly or damselfly nymph 3
Fly larva or midge 3
Mussel or clam 3
Nematode 3
Side swimmer 3
Very tolerant of most pollutants
Flatworm 2
Freshwater slater 2
Moth caterpillar 2
Segmented worm 2
True bug or true bug nymph 2
Leech 1
Snail 1
TOTALS
INTERPRETATION CHART
SIGNAL score = total column 4 = ____ =
total column 2
SIGNAL
score
Above
5.5
Suggests toxic pollution
or poor habitat
Suggests good habitat
and water quality
Bug types found that are not on list: =
Below
5.5
Suggests pollution
Suggests high salinity
or nutrient levels (may
be natural)
Total No. of bug types found = 0 - 7 More than 7
Number of bug types
Comments/Observations:
Air Temp: oC Water Temp: oC Tubidity: NTUs EC/TDS: μS/ppm pH:
9

10. Using your results and the rating guidelines below (Streamwatch 1 994), rate the quality of each water sample and record in the table above.
5 4 3 2
Excellent Good Fair Poor Degraded
Parameter Note: Number lines are not to scale.
Temperature The maximum increase in temperature should not be more than 2°( over a 24 hour period.
Conductivity 0 800
1700 2500 10000
~tS/cm
Suitable for drinking Suitable for irrigating Suitable for irrigating Only suitable for Not suitable for irrigation
water and irrigation most plants plants with med/ high irrigation of plant with
salt tolerance high tolerance of salts
pH 0.0 5.0 5.5 6.0 7.0 8.0 -- 8 ;~ 9.0 14.0
Turbidity 0 15.0 17.5 20.0 30.0
N.T.U.
Nitrates 0 0.05 0.1 0.2 0.4
mg/L
Phosphates 0 0.01 0.06 0.15 0.45
mg/L
INTERPRETATION
6. Examine the chemical and biological indicator results. Describe the overall health of the river.
7. Explain why environmental indicators are used to assess the condition of an environment.
8. Describe possible human activities that could contribute to poor water quality along the Werribee River.
Printed on 100% recycled paper 5
10

11. Purpose
values
Identify four activities people associate with the Gunbower forest.
Choose two groups and their activities which have conflicting needs.
How does each value the forest?
Group: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Why they value the forest:
Group: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Why they value the forest:
Suggest how the competing needs of interest groups can be realistically be
managed?
Timelines
Make a timeline of human use of the forest beginning with the aborigines and
continuing through to the present day.
How can we most equitably share the limited amount of water there is in the
Murray Darling Basin the 4 million people (and increasing) that directly
depend on the river to survive, as well as the natural environment that they
depend on and value?
11

12. Student worksheet 5.2
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Person Background
National Park ranger My role is to conserve the wetlands, which have a strong connection
to the health of the river. When the wetlands are operating as they
should under natural water levels there is abundant birdlife that
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web of life that depends upon getting the suitable levels of water
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UHFHQWÀRRGLVWKH¿UVWZHKDYHKDGLQQHDUOWHQHDUV
Murrawarri Traditional Owner
from western Basin area
We have a very strong continued connection to the land. We have
taken care of the country since time immemorial. One particular
interest right down the Murray-Darling Basin is our Rainbow
Serpent; we call it the Mundaguddah. He keeps the rivers healthy.
Another part of the land, the red river gum, is our link to our
ancestors. Our old people would talk to the ancestors through
the leaves of the red river gums growing along the river. If the red
river gum dies, our spiritual connection to our ancestors and our
Dreaming is lost. That’s our strong cultural connection to the river.
Grape grower Our family has been in the grape-growing industry for nearly 50
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LUULJDWLRQEXWUHDOLVHGZHFRXOGLUULJDWHLQDPRUHHI¿FLHQWZDVRZH
moved to drip irrigation, which was very costly to set up. We need
a secure water supply to ensure our vines grow and stay alive year
after year. Our town relies on the income of the farming community.
I, and other farmers, put money into the community.
Dairy cattle farmer I appreciate that the environment is important so the critical thing
for me is to balance the amount of water I use and be able to supply
people the milk they need. Our dairy-farming community supplies
milk to the local area as well as the cities. Many businesses rely
on our milk for their income – for example, processing, transport,
packaging and retail.
Grain grower Irrigating our farmland increases our productivity. On our farm we
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which is used to make the bread, pasta and biscuits that you eat.
New technologies help me reduce my water use. It ensures that
I water only when the soil moisture is at a certain level.
118 | The Murray-Darling Basin Balancing the priorities of agriculture and the environment
12

13. Student worksheet 5.2 cont.
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Person Background
Orchardist I grow apples, pears and peaches. I have taken out a large bank
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I’ve removed a levee bank that stopped my back paddock from
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hard evidence. It seems in dry times that the surrounding area
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accessed by deep-rooted plants such as my apple, pear and
peach trees.
Most of my produce goes to the markets in the big cities. I rely on
water from the local river to run my irrigation lines to the fruit trees.
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used in the past.
/RFDOUHFUHDWLRQDO¿VKHUPDQ I’ve lived on the Murray for 50 years and have observed the decline
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indicator of river health. I’d say at the moment the Murray and other
rivers of the Basin are pretty sick and need some attention.
Tourism: Paddle-steamer
operator
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travel at certain times.
When the river is healthy, the trees are healthy and people are
interested in travelling along the Murray to see this mighty river.
Community member
in South Australia
Our community relies on the Murray for its water supply.
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Murray to us.
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health. But what is going to happen when the next drought comes?
Tractor salesperson I rely on the farming community for my livelihood. Farmers in turn
rely on water. Our whole community is built around the irrigation
industry and without it my town will die.
119 | The Murray-Darling Basin Balancing the priorities of agriculture and the environment
13

14. Student worksheet 5.2 cont.
3RWHQWLDOVRXUFHVRIFRQÀLFWDPRQJSHRSOHLQWKH0XUUD'DUOLQJ%DVLQ
National
Park ranger
Murrawarri Traditional
Owner from western
Basin area
Grape grower
Dairy cattle farmer
Grain grower
Orchardist
Local recreational
¿VKHUPDQ
Tourism: Paddle
steamer operator
RQÀLFWPDWUL[
120 | The Murray-Darling Basin Balancing the priorities of agriculture and the environment
Community member
in South Australia
Tractor salesperson
National
Park ranger
Murrawarri Traditional
Owner from western
Basin area
Grape grower
Dairy cattle farmer
Grain grower
Orchardist
Local recreational
¿VKHUPDQ
Tourism: Paddle
steamer operator
Community member
in South Australia
Tractor salesperson
14

15. Food webs and biotic relationships:
Identify as many birds as you can using the pictures in the resource book as a
guide. This data will help you to answer other questions later on.
Bird name Role in food chain Where seen
Magpie carnivore Hanging around the
BBQ at lunch.
Identify an example of a predator/prey relationship, a parasite/host
relationship, commensalism, mutualism, competition.
Biotic relationships explanation example
predator/prey Where one animal hunts
another species of
animal for food.
parasite/host Where one organism
lives on, or in another
organism and derives
nutrients at its expense.
commensalism An association between
two organisms where
one benefits and the
other derives neither
benefit or harm.
15

16. mutualism An association between
two organisms which is
beneficial to both.
competition Where two organisms,
populations, or species
attempt to gain a share
of a limited resource.
Draw a simple food chain (the transfer of energy from one organism to
another).
producer 1st level
consumer
(herbivore)
2nd level
consumer
(carnivore)
3rd level
consumer
(top level
carnivore)
Food webs show how all the possible sources of food for organisms in a
forest. They can be very complex. The more sources of food an organism
has, the more likely they are to survive change.
16

17. TROPHIC LEVELS AND ENERGY TRANSFER
Organisms in a food web can be classified by trophic level. Each feeding level is called a trophic level.
1 3) Place the wetland organisms from the Food Web above into their correct trophic level below.
Tertiary
14) Can organisms occupy more than one trophic level? Explain.
1 5) Draw an arrow on your trophic level pyramid above to show which direction energy is transferred
through the trophic levels.
16) No energy conversion is 100% efficient. Outline how much energy is usually lost with each energy
transfer and why?
17) Total organism biomass decreases as you move up trophic levels also. Explain.
1 8) Rank the organisms identified in your wetland sample from most abundant to least abundant.
Most abundant Least Abundant
1 9) Consider the trophic levels of the ranked organisms. Does this reflect the theory previously discussed?
Printed on 1 00% recycled paper 5
17

18. MACROINVERTEBRATE STUDY RESULTS
3) Briefly describe what you found in your study, noting which organisms and diet types were most and
least abundant in this wetland ecosystem.
4) Did you observe/identify all the organisms that could be found in this ecosystem in your wetland
sample? Explain why you may not have observed all these organisms.
INTERACTIONS WITHIN THE WETLAND COMMUNITY
Organisms in an ecosystem interact with one another. These interactions may be categorized into many
different classes of interactions based either on their effects or on the mechanism of the interaction. Effects
may range from one species eating another, to a mutual benefit.
Predation
5) Identify two examples of a predator-prey relationship that exist in this wetland ecosystem.
a)
b)
6) Discuss the importance of predator-prey relationships in maintaining a wetland ecosystem.
Symbiosis
7) Identify (tick) if any of the following symbiotic relationships exist in this wetland ecosystem.
Mutualism 0 Parasitism 0 Commensalism 0
8) Describe one of the symbiotic relationships identified.
Competition
9) What do wetland organisms compete for?
1 0) Outline an example where two wetland organisms compete for food resources.
00% recvde,d
18

19. Ecosystems:
Biodiversity and productivity calculation.
Biomass pyramid calculation
(DBH x height x number of trees per 10,000m2, (100m x 100m) for producers,
then use estimations for primary, secondary and tertiary
consumers).
4.
consumers
3.
consumers:
eg
eagles
2.
consumers:
eg
snakes
1.
consumers:
eg
kangaroos
Producers:
river
red
gums
etc
Biomass
kg
per
hectare
Construct a
Biomass numbers pyramid using a 1m x 1m quadrat. Estimating the
number of individual organisms in each trophic level.
Number
of
organisms
per
hectare
4.
consumers
3.
consumers:
eg
eagles
2.
consumers:
eg
snakes
1.
consumers:
eg
kangaroos
Producers:
river
red
gums
etc
Compare these two ways of estimating the productivity of an ecosystem.
19

20. Drawing and photography task: ecosystem and habitat identification.
Consider: Why biodiversity is important to maintain a healthy river red gum
forest ecosystem? How can it best be measured?
20