Birdman Bill and yours truly have just spent a delightful
two days with the students of Lang Lang Primary School at their most invaluable
arboretum, an oasis of remnant bushland on the edge of the town.
The school engaged Bug Blitz and Westernport Swamp Landcare to
conduct an event – if you are old school like me, think ‘nature study’ – that
introduced the whole school population, preps to grade 6, to some of the
important biodiversity components of such a valuable place.
Bill and I focused on the birds – what species were
present, why they were there, how you can identify them, etc. Members of
Westernport Swamp Landcare informed the students about the mammals and native flora
species. Bug Blitz staff ‘swept’ part of the arboretum for an amazing range of
invertebrates, examined water samples for macro-invertebrates and painted a
couple of bird species to understand plumage, camouflage, etc.
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| Templates of Latham's Snipe as interpreted by the students |
At the end of day 1, we helped Westernport Swamp Landcare attach a
magnificent mural to the side of the old shelter shed just inside the gate.
Next time you are passing through Lang Lang, drop in and have a look. The
arboretum is a public tract of bushland on Westernport Rd, about 2km on the
Drouin side of Lang Lang.
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| The mural is a great adjunct to a wonderful little facility |
A big thanks to Bill (Friends of Drouin’s Trees), Dr John
Caldow, Geoff and Erin (Bug Blitz), Barry, Polly, Susan et al (Westernport
Swamp Landcare), principal Colin and staff (Lang Lang Primary School) and especially
the enthusiastic, polite and motivated kids of Lang Lang and district. I hope
you all had as a good a time as I did.
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