By Julie McQueen
Unseen creatures… We are not talking the fantasy world, we’re talking the natural world.
Finding out about ‘unseen creatures’ was part of a sustainability program run by community group U3A Maribyrnong.
For twelve months members explored all aspects of sustainability including; the built environment (did you know that the current average house size in Australia is the fourth largest in the world?), waste and recycling, and low-cost low-carbon plant-based cooking.
We also played TAG – the adaptation game where we looked at our personal energy use and how we might prepare for severe weather events which we experienced this summer including heatwaves, bushfires, severe storms and flooding.
Energy, the future of forests and sustainable food production were also on the program.
But it was the Maribyrnong River that caught everyone’s attention. It is our river and the local community has worked hard to improve it. We don’t have the industries of the past, we don’t have the annual sight of dumped cars being pulled out but we do have a local river rubbish club collecting litter along the banks, and wetlands groups cleaning up Newland’s paddock. And there is more going on.
We participated in the Maribyrnong River and Waterways Association’s trips up and down the river. They told us about the health of the river, the need to restore plant growth along the banks and its reliance on the ever declining ground water. And then they introduced us to the Maribyrnong’s unseen creatures.
The unseen creatures in question are microfauna living in the Maribyrnong River. You won’t see them, they’re barely a millimetre long but they keep waterway ecosystems healthy. They include predators and algae grazers. When you look at them under the microscope they are beautiful! They have big bellies, straggling tails, floating tendrils, big eyes, little fins and flippers. They must be the product of someone’s imagination as they are so bizarre. And we didn’t know they were there.
U3A Maribyrnong is also the pilot group of the Maribyrnong River and Waterways Association’s community quilting project. Residents in the lower catchment of the river are stitching away, bringing these critters to life. Using the colours and textures of the river and its creatures and landscapes, we are producing panels for a huge community quilt. Our work will be combined with the panels from residents of the upper reaches of the river and the quilt will be exhibited in the region at community venues and activities to raise awareness of the river’s health and ways to preserve it.
If you want to contribute to the quilt – no charge, no experience necessary and all the materials are provided- you can still join the program before it ends in April.
To join the quilting group head to u3amaribyrnong.org.au
Find out more about Maribyrnong River and Waterways Association via maribyrnongriver.org.au
U3A Maribyrnong’s sustainability program was supported by Bendigo Bank – Seddon Community Bank
