School's in for teachers at the Wellington forest

Monday, 03 July 2000

School's in for teachers at the Wellington forest School's in for teachers at the Wellington forest The Department of Conservation and Land Management will host 27 teachers from the south-west at a Professional Development Day in the Wellington Discovery Forest later this month. The day is part of the lead up to the introduction of two forest-based schools activity programs in September. CALM Community Education Officer, Liz Moore, who developed the programs, said the Wellington Discovery Forest offered students and teachers an opportunity to explore and learn about Western Australia's jarrah forest, its ecosystem, values and management. Ms Moore said the involvement of country schools in CALM's Western Shield Schools program and the overwhelming support from teachers for the camps run at Batalling Forest east of Collie over the past three years had indicated the need for structured forest--based opportunities for all school students. As well as helping students become more aware of the jarrah forest ecosystem, the schools program also aims to develop the students' understanding of the relationship between people and the forest environment and to encourage wiser use of forest resources. The development of the school program at Wellington Discovery Forest is modelled on the successful Exploring The Hills Forest programs at Mundaring. Two quality programs for Years 6, 7 and 8 will be offered in September and plans are underway to increase the number of programs as the demand grows. The Professional Development day will provide teachers with resources to use at school and an overview of excursion opportunities as part of the Discovering Wellington Forest program and the Back from the Brink Threatened Species program. Participants also will gain experience in small mammal monitoring methods, checking traps and measuring animals. Late in the afternoon, the teachers, along with CALM Mornington District Officer, Rob Brazell, will release woylies as part of the reintroduction of the species into the forests in the Wellington region. The release is the second phase of the program. The first was on 17 June when Premier Richard Court announced the handover of 3000 hectares of formerly private land to CALM to be managed as the Wellington National Park. The land, surrounding the Wellington Dam, was bought as part of the Government's commitment to create 12 new national parks in the south-west forests. Mr Brazell said CALM's fox baiting program had been extended to cover the new land. "The reintroduction of the woylies into the Wellington forests not only helps restore nature's balance, it also extends the opportunities for school programs in the region," he said. "In fact, one of the most pleasing aspects of projects such as Western Shield has been seeing young people take a much greater interest in our native wildlife. "This is good news for conservation because it means the children will grow up with a greater awareness of our native fauna and flora and consequently the need to manage the lands so they are conserved for future generations." Media contacts: Liz Moore 9334 0387; Rob Brazell 9734 1988

 

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