Original story by Louise Duff and Fran Beilby, WetlandCare Australia
Porters Creek Wetland is the largest remaining freshwater wetland on the Central Coast of New South Wales. It plays a critical role filtering and purifying water on its way to the Wyong River, which supplies drinking water for the local community. The river flows into Tuggerah Lakes, a connected series of three shallow, estuarine lagoons open to the sea at The Entrance. Together these waterways provide habitat for a diversity of flora and fauna, support fishing and tourism enterprise and offer outstanding recreational opportunities for the Wyong community.
Students conducted a biodiversity audit of their school grounds using a plant identification key. Photo: Louise Duff
WetlandCare Australia (WCA) is a national not-for-profit company that has been working with communities to protect, restore and promote wetlands since 1991. We were invited by Wyong Shire Council to engage primary students at three schools bordering Porters Creek Wetland, to complement a broader program of work to protect Tuggerah Lakes Estuary. The program was funded by the Australian Government’s “Caring For Our Country” Program and the theme was “Love Our Living Lakes.”
WCA designed and implemented an environmental education program called “Catchment Custodians” to meet Wyong Council’s brief. The program targeted Year 5 students, Environment Clubs, the wider school community and neighbours in the catchment including industry.
The program aimed to promote understanding and appreciation of wetland values and threats, responsible behaviours to protect the catchment, a sense of place and active citizenship.
In Term 1, students studied wetland biodiversity, ecosystem services, threats and management in both formal classroom and outdoor settings.
In Term 2 they developed and delivered a community outreach program which took their message of wetland protection to the streets. Students worked in groups to write and illustrate a brochure and delivered it to neighbouring houses on the edge of the wetland. They undertook drain stenciling to spread the message “only rain down the drain.” One group developed and presented a PowerPoint training module to staff at Carlton United’s Bluetongue Brewery, then was shown the brewery’s stormwater management controls. Another group staged the Streets to Creeks” Catchment Story for the school-readiness group at a childcare centre adjacent to the wetland.
In Term 3, a wider group of nearly 200 students participated in a Catchment Carnival with experiential learning activities presented by local stakeholders including the National Parks and Wildlife Service, Hunter-Central Rivers CMA and the Central Coast Community Environment Network. Darkinjung elder Gavi Duncan performed an inspiring “Welcome to Country” and enthralled the students with stories, dancing and artifacts.
The program concluded with Junior Landcare and Waterwatch activities to build practical skills for wetland conservation. Students planted habitat trees on campus and at Tumbi Umbi wetlands in partnership with the local Landcare group.
Students tracked their progress in a Catchment Custodian passport throughout the program and were presented certificates recognizing their status as Catchment Custodians. The results were documented and presented via a series of digital stories that can be found on WetlandCare Australia’s YouTube channel:http://www.youtube.com/user/WetlandCareAust?feature=guide
Further information about Wong Shire Council’s “Love Our Living Lakes” program can be found at:http://www.loveourlivinglakes.com.au/
Contact:
Louise Duff
Manager Hunter Region
WetlandCare Australia
M: 0432 688775
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