Eagle Farm Reserve in Eagle Vale now boasts appealing new educational signage.
Shaped like an eel swimming through reeds, the signage is aimed at helping visitors to understand the importance of the local waterway and the native species that call Eagle Vale pond home.
The interpretive signage highlights some of the main species found at the site – from the black swan, willie wagtail and purple swamphen, to the Eurasian coot, Australian wood duck and longfinned eel – in an easy-to-read and highly visual display.
It also aims to raise awareness of why feeding bread to local wildlife is detrimental to waterway and animal health, and what we can do as a community to help keep the stormwater that reaches the pond as clean as possible.
Inspired by the recently published Eric the Eel illustrated storybook, produced by students of Campbelltown Performing Arts High School in collaboration with Campbelltown City Council staff, the eel-shaped sign also incorporates imagery from the book and explains the unique lifecycle of the longfinned eel that calls many of Campbelltown City’s wetlands and ponds home.
Mayor of Campbelltown, Cr Paul Hawker, said that council was committed to engaging residents and visitors with unique tools to help spread the word about the importance of protecting our local environment, and in particular, our waterways and native fauna.
“The latest edition to Eagle Farm Reserve has certainly been catching the attention of visitors of all ages, and that’s exactly what we hoped when developing the unique signage,” Cr Hawker said.
“There are many species that call our wetlands, ponds and rivers home, and they all play a vital role in keeping the natural balance of the ecosystem healthy.
“Helping local residents learn more about these species and understand the impact we can have on their survival through every day actions is important, both today and into the future,” Cr Hawker added.
To learn more about the wildlife at Eagle Farm Reserve and other waterways across Campbelltown City, visit council’s life in our water website here.
