Project update - Just Add Water

(c) Kim V. Goldsmith, 2009, Little River Dreaming 02, digital photograph

All has been quiet on the blog front this past month as the new media works that are a part of this project have started to take shape. More video interviews have been conducted and the edited versions will be available for viewing on the blog in coming weeks.

Two videos have now been produced as part of the project, one of which is focused very much on water use in the Central West, particularly in Dubbo. Some interesting stats came to light during my research for this work:

• On 18 March, Dubbo residential water usage was 497 litres/person/day. This equates to about 3.3 bathtubs of water per person (based on an average 150 litre bathtub).


• The Central West catchment target for water use per person is 155 litres per person - a little more than 1 bathtub per person). This is based on high level water restrictions, however, it raises some interesting questions about our capabilities under these restrictions.


• On 29 March the water usage in Dubbo was 713 litres/ person/day (4.75 bathtubs)...obviously not a water restriction in sight in this town.

At the Western Plains Cultural Centre hosted public forum, "Just Add Water", held in Dubbo on 26 February, Dubbo's relationship with water was explored through the eyes a Dubbo City Council representative. The following is a transcript of some of what was said on the night:

Dubbo values water very highly...I think we grow up expecting a reliable water supply in Dubbo. People like their green lawns; people enjoy seeing green playing fields...they (people outside of Dubbo) don't begrudge Dubbo having access to water and using it keep our town green...Dubbo uses about 1 gigalitre of water every year. The average flow in the Murray (River) is nearly 5,000 GL, so even if Dubbo was to reduce its usage by half and if we only used half a gigalitre instead of a gigalitre, that would be 0.01% of the flow in the Murray. What effect is 0.01% going to have on whether Lake Alexandrina has water in it or not?

Does Dubbo exist in a green bubble - isolated from its responsibilities within the wider catchment? How much are residents really prepared to pay to maintain their European style gardens in this semi-arid environment?

Rich environmental heritage

Following a trip to the Macquarie Marshes today with fellow artist, Gail Naden, and Western Plains Cultural Centre curator, Adnan Begic, I have a new appreciation for the rich environmental heritage of this Ramsar listed wetland. Our guide for the day was Berty Bartholomew - a wealth of knowledge and opinion bundled up in a man who is a gifted story-teller and custodian of many Aboriginal sites in the area. Not enough water has yet worked its way down the system to flood the bird breeding sites and there were many stark reminders within the boundaries of the Northern Marsh of human impact on the wetlands, the main one being the bypass channel taking water away from the river for stock and domestic purposes. Human activity in the area goes back to pre-European times, evidence of which can be seen in the scar trees. However these scars seem insignificant compared to the banks and channels carved into the floodplain.

But nature still does its thing in some quarters despite human intervention. Highlights of the day were watching a Little Eagle swoop down on the crested pigeon and photographing a stunning skewbald goanna. Emus and kangaroos were in a abundance, and thankfully we only sighted one snake! Given another few weeks, the bird life should increase as the water from upstream slowly makes its way towards Carinda, flooding the lagoons and reed beds.

When I returned home this evening to read the weekend papers, I noticed an article about David Suzuki's latest book (interestingly, the back of the page was about this season's latest fashions). There was a comment in the article attributed to Suzuki which said: A lot of my friends are thinking it's too late (to save the environment)...But I say if you really believe there is nothing that can be done, then shut up and get out of the way. Because you always have to offer people hope.

There are some who say that the Marshes can never be what they once were because they are now at the tail end of a regulated water system. There are those who say that the greed of the irrigation and grazing industries will mean the Marshes will be forever cheated of water. While the Nature Reserve is indeed pretty much under lock and key, there are signs that with some thoughtful management and the care of people such as Berty, that the Marshes does have a future as a significant waterbird breeding site in Australia.

The fact is that humans do live in this environment, living within the demands of modern society. We can't expect the natural environment to be what it was, but we can work towards ensuring a secure future for those areas like the Marshes with a rich environmental heritage.

Shifting perspective

I've been working on this project now since late November 2008. Until recently, my vision of the natural environment did not include people. I work with people who are passionate about preserving and rehabilitating our natural resources, I come from generations of farmers who had a vested interest in caring for the land. I understand there are people, like me who have this connection with the environment. So, why was it that I didn't picture people, even myself, in my vision for the environment?

This week I drove to Yeoval, about 70km south-east of Dubbo. On the way I stopped at the Wambangalang Field Study Centre near Toongi to speak with one of the teachers there, Matthew McKenzie. He spoke about his desire to see the kids who visit the centre connect with the environment. Then it was on to Yeoval, 20 minutes down the road where I'd arranged to meet up with two of the driving forces behind the Little River Landcare Group - Fergus Job and Pip Job. Both have a desire to engage the communities of their catchment in order to continue developing a healthy environment for themselves, their community and future generations. All with very limited financial resources and great uncertainty about future funding.

The shift in my perspective has occurred as a result of reflecting upon the interviews I conducted with Matthew, Fergus and Pip - and their insistence that humans are a critical part of the ecosystems of our catchment. It is only through human intervention that our environment stands any chance of surviving future climatic changes. From now on, my visions of a healthy environment might well be filled with happy, smiling children!

The issues are complex

There is no doubt that the issues surrounding the management of our natural environment are as complex as our relationship with it. The Junctions Environmental League chairman, Lance Howley has posted a comment on the site, and sent through the attached document (click on image to enlarge) to show what his concerns are for the environment in which he lives and works - which is on the junction of the Murray/Murrumbidgee, the Murray/Wakool and the Wakool/Edwards Rivers.

Coming of Age interviews

As part of the Coming of Age Project, individuals are being interviewed about what the environment means to them. A sample of these interviews will be posted on this site. The first of these interviews is with Georgia, aged 7.

What do you value?

What do you value about the environment you live in?

What would you fight to preserve?

Participate in the Coming of Age Project and be part of a creative debate about the future of your community.

Simply post a comment below.

Image: (c) Kim V. Goldsmith, 2009, Cockatoo rising, video grab from work in development as part of the Coming of Age Project.

Innovative thinking & new knowledge

Projects such as Coming of Age can contribute to innovative thinking and new knowledge about issues which are incredibly complex. Complex issues require informed input - which is why community involvement in this project is so important.

The late environmental scholar, George Seddon said in his book, Landprints: "It is an immensely complex debate, because conservation and planning issue reach deep into our economy, our ecology, our society, our language...The usual outcome of simplifying issues is simplistic conclusions, which often have consequences worse than the problems the measure was intended to address."

Plenty of evidence around us today of the simplistic approach...lets start getting creative!

In my past work as a regional arts administrator, it was clearly evident that communities have the capacity to tackle complex issues when they have the skills of empowerment - leadership, communication, negotiation, problem solving and values. Artists are leaders in innovation and creative problem solving, and the arts has a well documented history of capacity building within communities, see http://www.ccd.net/ and http://www.ccdnsw.org. For more information about cultural policy being more closely linked to innovations policy read the National ArtsEco Forum submission at http://www.innovation.gov.au/innovationreview/Documents/367-National_Arts_and_Ecology_Forum.pdf.

A recommended inspiring read is Big story country - great arts stories from regional Australia. Available by contacting Regional Arts NSW at http://www.regionalartsnsw.com.au.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts about our environmental future.