Timelapse Test at Pysche
Press the picture to watch the video
Pity about the flare – and I almost did not survive the MOZZIES!!!!
Bottle Bend
On Thursday Sept 30th we took a trip to Bottle Bend. Bottle Bend is on the NSW side of the Murray, upstream from Psyche Bend. Though it doesn’t have as cool a name as Psyche Bend, it does live up to its reputation of being one of the particularly degraded floodplain areas of the Murray (see for example this article from the ABC). Due to the rain, the rancid orange soils had disappeared under the flow of water. There was even a bit of wildlife around, including ducks and even a pelican, and plenty of mosquitoes. But I did wonder whether some of that highly saline acidic soil is going to be floating down the Murray now that there is water flow into the area….
Salt Licks
We are interested in different ways of hardening salt. So far we haven’t been able to find much information on how to make your own ‘salt blocks’. One source of information is the industry of making ‘salt licks’ for cattle. Many of these salt licks also contain protein. We managed to find one brand that seems to only be plain salt. We are trying to order a block from Landmark to see if it may be suitable to carve just as a test.
Please let us know if you have any suggestions!!!
Murray-Darling Freshwater Research Centre
On Friday September 25th we were lucky enough to present our work at the
Murray-Darling Freshwater Research Centre
and get some really great feedback and information from the scientists. Dr. Todd Wallace was kind enough to give us a great intensive session on the history and issues surrounding the Murray Darling Basin.
One important thing we learned is the impact not only of the irrigation, but also of the regulation of the river – the complex system of weirs and dams, and how that impacts on groundwater, flow, and habitat.
