#bellingerriversnappingturtle — Public Fediverse posts

Safeguarding Bellingen rivers and coast
https://bellingenshirenews.com.au/2025/12/04/new-plan-to-safeguard-bellingen-rivers/

Explore the responsible visitor tips:
"Watch your pooch when it poops: One 10 cent-sized piece of dog waste contains 23 million faecal coliform bacteria – rain washes it into rivers and harms wildlife. Bag it, bin it, keep our waterways clean."
https://www.visitbellingenshire.com.au/Plan/Tips-on-how-to-explore-with-care

The Gleniffer Valley is a beautiful place, but..
http://www.bellingennow.com/about/index.html
#water #rivers #Bellingen #BellingenShire #BellingerRiverSnappingTurtle #shorebirds #platypus #biodiversity #wildlife #ecosystems #PromisedLands #Gleniffer #dogs #pets #waste

Bellinger River snapping turtles backup

"Conservationists release largest group of zoo-bred Bellinger River snapping turtles after virus wipe-out. The snapping turtles occupy a 60km stretch of the Bellinger River."

"Nearly 100 captive-bred Bellinger River snapping turtles have been released into the wild, the biggest number yet for the breeding program after a virus nearly wiped them out in 2015."

"Nearly 90 per cent of the population was wiped out in 2015 due to a mysterious virus... Monitoring remains crucial to prevent the virus from spreading through the species again.Nearly a decade after a virus nearly wiped out a population of turtles unique to northern New South Wales, researchers say its origins remain a mystery as a project to repopulate the species hits a major milestone."

"Before the disease outbreak, there were estimated to be up to 4,500 of the freshwater turtles living in Bellinger catchment and today about 200 remain — largely as a result of release efforts."

"It's one of the rarest freshwater turtle species in Australia...Turtles have a really important role in our ecosystem as food scavengers."
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https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-04-09/bellinger-river-snapping-turtle-conservation-release-zoo-bred/103681974
#BellingerRiverSnappingTurtle #turtles #bellinger #pollution #mystery #Bellingen #CaptiveBreeding #biodiversity #habitat #CitizenScience #cattle

Pets, pesticides and polluted rivers

"Fipronil and imidacloprid are widely used in flea treatments, which are typically applied to the back of the pet’s neck once a month.These two chemicals are extremely potent neurotoxic insecticides and it is deeply concerning that they are routinely found on the hands of dog owners through ongoing contact with their pet. Pet owners will also be upset to learn that they are accidentally polluting our rivers by using these products.”

"The insecticides used in the flea products flow down household drains when pet owners wash their hands after applying the treatment. Wastewater from sewage treatment works is a leading source of fipronil and imidacloprid pollution in rivers, with concentrations exceeding safe limits for wildlife."
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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/feb/01/vets-pesticide-flea-treatments-river-pollution-pet-owners-toxic-insecticides-hands
#pesticide #pets #dogs #cats #wildlife #rivers #pollution #OneHealth #neonicotinoids #neurotoxins #fipronil #Bellinger #platypus #BellingerRiverSnappingTurtle

Macroinvertebrate monitoring citizen science program in Belllingen

"Twice a year, community members and scientists come together to test for waterbugs at six sites along the Bellinger and Kalang catchments. Macroinvertebratese include juvenile stages of many insects like dragonflies, damselflies, mayflies, caddisflies, water beetles, and more."

"Our macro program was requested by the scientists supporting the recovery of the critically endangered Bellinger River Snapping Turtle."

"The ongoing recovery of the Bellinger River Snapping Turtle in the Bellinger Catchment is linked directly to the aquatic macroinvertebrate communities of the catchment’s rivers. Not only are aquatic macroinvertebrates an important component of the Bellinger River Snapping Turtle diet, the macroinvertebrate communities are sensitive to changes in water quality and will, therefore, be an important indicator of river health into the future.”

https://www.ozgreen.org/macromuster
#macroinvertebrate #waterbugs #water #pollution #monitoring #Bellinger #Kalang #BellingerRiverSnappingTurtle #RiverHealth