Busy at Bioblitz: Young custodians hear the call

Local students have been discovering the wonders of wetlands during the Noongar seasons of Djilba and Kambarang as part of Nature Conservation Margaret River Region’s Our Patch program.

Year 3 students from Margaret River Primary School investigated the health of the Wooditjup Bilya or Margaret River’s wetland zones, making observations and examining the macroinvertebrates that live there.

And the discovery of species including caddisfly larvae, stonefly nymphs and mayfly nymphs was good news in terms of water quality.

“These guys are very sensitive to pollution,” student Juno said.

“They couldn’t live here if the waters were polluted.

“So, the fact that we found them tells us it’s pretty healthy.”

The Margaret River Primary School students are among more than 200 children from five local schools who all take part in the Our Patch program and who carry out wetland health assessments throughout the season.

They’ll also take part in the Our Patch end-of-year celebration which is called the Bioblitz, held on Wednesday at Mokidup Homestead and featuring a day packed full of nature and cultural education, fun and activities for the kids covering topics from water quality, marine and birdlife, plants and pollinators to cultural awareness and environmental stewardship.

“Number one, we are having a lot of fun! Kids experience fun and joy, they laugh a lot and get the chance to be playful,” Our Patch officer Lauren Scanlon said.

“They jump in puddles, get mud on their shoes and dirt under their fingernails.

“But something deeper is happening too. They are connecting with the environment and falling in love with Wadandi Boodja. You cannot protect what you don’t love.

“One joyful excursion at time, they’re becoming important custodians of this sacred place.

“Our region is unique and special, and it’s never faced more threats. It’ll take an entire generation of custodians rising through the ranks to protect it, and to educate and empower the next generation,” Ms Scanlon continued.

“We’ll need to listen to and heed the advice of one of the world’s oldest living cultures, and take inspiration and guidance from what I consider to be the greatest example of custodianship and care – the 60,000 years of documented Wadandi hands and hearts holding and caring for this sacred and biodiverse land.”

Ms Scanlon said the macroinvertebrates studied by the students are like “Google Translate for wetland health”.

“Caddisfly larvae are a living water quality and pollution monitor,” she said.

“It’s almost like they are whispering to us, ‘Kaya kids, just so you know, I like a clean home and I will not tolerate any form of pollution. I live here because its clean and healthy. It’s a thumbs up for me’.”

The Our Patch team thanked local schools for supporting environmental and cultural learning on country, as well as the Undalup Association and Shire of Augusta Margaret River for their support, and the Margaret River Montessori School for sharing the wetland on their school grounds with students from other schools.

Our Patch funders including the Lions Club of Cowaramup, Shire of Augusta-Margaret River, Margaret River Rotary, the Paskeville Foundation and local schools.