In August, we hosted the first Karuwayinya (Carawine Gorge) Water Camp on Nyamal Country. Working with the Pilbara Ranger Network (PRN), Nyamal Rangers and Traditional Owners, the Nyamal Rangers engaged with about 90 people over three days to connect with one another and deepen understanding of caring for freshwater places. The camp brought together around 60 rangers from different Traditional Owner groups across the Pilbara, along with Kimberley rangers, researchers, scientists, and key partners such as Warrawagine station, Woodie Woodie Mine, Lotterywest, and Rio Tinto.
Nyamal Elder Tony Taylor and the incredible Nyamal dancers welcomed the camp, and this was followed by two days of workshops covering project planning, measurement of flow, water bugs, hydrogeology, and fish. We were also lucky to hear insights from Yawuru and Ngurrura ranger teams about how they manage their water places in the Kimberley. Evenings featured roo tail, stew, and presentations from rangers and scientists.
“This week we’ve been out here at Carawine, learning about water the importance of it on-country and cultural uses and how we can kind of mix that in with the government side of water quality monitoring, water quality testing, monitoring for pests like redclaw. Yeh it’s been pretty good!” – Jade Churnside, Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation.
Adrian Taylor from Nyamal Aboriginal Corporation shared, “The activities provided invaluable learning experiences, not just from scientists but also from diverse ranger groups.”
Thank you to the Nyamal community, the Pilbara Ranger Network and teams, guest rangers from the Kimberley and partners that made this such a special week, including: Department of Water and Environmental Regulation (DEWR), University of Western Australia (UWA), Murdoch University, Lateral Environmental, Saltbush Geo, Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation, Karlka Nyiyaparli Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC, The PKKP Aboriginal Corporation, Robe River Kuruma Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC and Yinhawangka Aboriginal Corporation.
As Allissa Limerick from Yinhawangka Aboriginal Corporation reflected – “every time we leave the Pilbara Ranger Network forums, we always go back home motivated… you know to plan these activities; it motivates us to get out more”