Updated: May 2
Bringing our project teams together in the CLLMM
A major event for the Research Centre brought together project teams for our first Research Networking Day.
On Friday 28th February 2025, we met in person to connect with each other and the Coorong region, sharing knowledge of our specific work and how we collectively are building a body of knowledge to help the region respond to the challenges facing it.
Rebekha Sharkie MP, who recently tabled the CLLMM Annual Report in Federal Parliament, placing on record the value of our research to the region, officially opened the event with a call for more scientific contributions in public discussions.
“We need more science, we need more scientists in Parliament House,” she said.
We were joined by representatives from First Nations and other local community organisations, sharing their perspectives of collaborating with the Centre, as well as management insight into how CLLMM research is perceived.
Dr Joe Milton from the Science Media Centre led a session making science more accessible to wider audiences:
using media opportunities to explain what we are investigating
how to create messages for people with some/little/ no prior knowledge
using images and video to help the ‘picture tell the story.’
A First Nations panel led by CLLMM’s First Nations Engagement Officer Kyla McHughes discussed topics including cultural protocols, clearances for onsite work and building relationships with the local community.
The final workshop session was all about conveying future climates. Guided by presentations from Kerri Muller (AU2100), Ryan Lewis (DEW), Mike Dunlop (CSIRO) and Matt Gibbs (CSIRO), project teams were tasked with exploring how to share and benefit from existing resources and tools (climate change scenarios and climate modeling) and developing personal networks for future collaboration.
It was a rewarding day which created an opportunity to meet, share and learn together. We will definitely do it again!
Community of the Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth communities understand droughts and floods. We know the land and waters we love are changed and changing and that they will continue to change as climate change continues. Our 'Community adaptation to worsening droughts and floods in the CLLMM' project, led by Neville Crossman from Flinders University, is an opportunity for community members to express themselves creatively to help people understand what values are at risk and what our pathways to adaptation might be.
The project team is looking for up to 15 adults from all walks of life who live, work or play in the region to co-design something creative together as a legacy of our times. Please see attached invitation for details of how to participate. There will be five workshops held in the region over several months, the first being when we have 15 community members signed up before 17 April 2025, at a time and location that suits registered participants.
If you want to learn more or be involved, please reach out to:
Science Program Manager Nick Whiterod or 0409023771 Project team directly - Bridget McFarland by the 17 April 2025.
Click below for more information and to download the invitation.
Related Researcher Profiles
To learn more about the project click here.
Over 300 people attended the Summer Series of Science events, met the Research Centre team to find out about the Centre, our research projects and engagement with community during the inaugural Summer Series of Science.
Participants now have a greater understanding, and value, of what the CLLMM Research Centre does to generate evidence of climate change impacts and do want to be involved in protecting the ecosystem by volunteering directly with the Centre, or with others of our partners/stakeholders.
“The success of this series of activities is evident by numbers of people attending and the positive feedback we’ve received,” says Dr Nick Whiterod, Science Program Manager.
“It’s very clear that many people understand the threats to the region and want to be more active in helping protect it. By bringing together community members and local organisations to share knowledge and information, the Research Centre is helping to develop strong relationships which will support future activities.”
The program’s range of activities offered different levels of engagement with science.
The two panel discussions gave voice to local organisations active in addressing issues, and to individuals concerned about them.
“It was pleasing to hear multiple speakers with potentially divergent and possibly contrary views, from quite nostalgic to the contemporary, all settled convivially with a tangible sense of common purpose.”
While the Centre is surrounded by water in Goolwa, the opportunity to take a Coorong Cruise with the team at the Spirit of the Coorong was a treat for many who came on board to see and experience the locations for some of our projects and hear from related researchers.
“Seeing the Coorong/ Lower Lakes from the water, getting off the boat at Barkers Knoll and walking over to the wild part of the Coorong…. Speakers on the boat were great.”
The Citizen Science Showcase – including live fish capture – delivered a great informal engagement with science and scientists. And many enjoyed the Spotlight Speaker, Tim Jarvis AO, whose tales of recreating the incredible Antarctic expeditions of Sir Douglas Mawson, and Sir Ernest Shackleton are enthralling, and help show how climate change impacts the least visited continent.
“Every session was unique. There were many highlights. Climate change offered a wide range of "experts", Tim's trip made me read his book, the boat trip and walk were informative and lastly the displays and seeing fish species caught out the front were experiences hard to beat. Thank you.”
