BEFORE VISIT ACTIVITIES

Transcription

1 BEFORE VISIT ACTIVITIES 1. Find out what students know about the Department of Conservation. Why does DOC exist? What does DOC manage? Is there a DOC office in your area? What sorts of things does a DOC staff person do? Check out the DOC web site, (about & for) 2. Brainstorm the ideas that students already have about wetlands, for example - What is a wetland? What would you expect to find living in a wetland? Why do you think it is called a wetland? Why are wetlands special? 3. Design and carry out an opinion poll. What different attitudes do people have about wetlands? Is there a range of views? What are the implications of your findings? (for) 4. Have a class debate on why wetlands should be protected. Explore concepts such as attitudes and values. (for) 5. Examine the meanings of the words swamp, reserve, bog, wetland, lagoon, peat dome, ecosystem, monitoring, and restoration. (about) 6. How do you conserve things? When it is said that this is a reserve site, what do you think it means to manage such a place? How would you make sure that wetland environments are conserved? (for) 7. Look at what your class can do to help our wetland environments - while visiting a wetland and back at school. Why is this important? Are there any wetlands near your school? How can your school's local community get involved in protecting wetland habitats in your district? (for) 8. Find out about the local iwi from your area. Where are their marae? Who are the kaumätua? What stories can they tell you about local wetlands? (about) 9. How can traditional knowledge of wetlands and their past uses be more widely known to people who visit the area? Design ways of distributing information, such as brochures, web pages, community newspapers and radio interviews. What will your message be? Why? (for) 10. Design an outdoor safety code. Appoint class members to help apply it on the visits to a wetland. Why is this important? (about) 21

2 AFTER VISIT ACTIVITIES 1. Turn your classroom into a wetland playground. Design and construct all the different types of fish, birds and plants you may see (paper maché is a good medium). Use a corner to mount interpretative signs that explain the different parts of the display. Add pictures and reference materials to this area of presentation. (about) 2. As part of the display design, draw and construct a kayaking trail that shows different wetland habitats (e.g., open water, streams, lakes, etc.) and include an interpretation sign for this. Perhaps you could display a model of a person with the gear needed for safe and enjoyable kayaking. (about) 3. Prepare a written presentation to present to your Principal and Board of Trustees, to paint a mural within the grounds. It could be a scene of a wetland showing the different fish, birds and plants that live there. If you have a swimming pool this could be an ideal site. (about & for) 4. Have a class debate on why wetlands should be protected. Explore concepts such as attitudes and values. (for) 5. You could invite your local community to a launch of your mural and include the local newspaper reporter as a guest. You could arrange for a series of articles produced by the class to be included in the paper featuring all the aspects you have presented on your information panels about wetlands. (about & for) 6. Discuss in groups, what have you learned about wetlands? Do we need them? How many have we got? How many do we need? Who benefits from them? How do they benefit? (for) 7. Look at what your class can do to help our wetlands - while visiting a wetland and back at school. Why are they important? Are there any wetlands near your school? How can your school's local community get involved in protecting wetland habitats in your district? (for) 22

3 ORGANISATION OF OUTDOOR SAFETY When planning a visit to a wetland check school policy to make sure the correct procedures are being followed. For example, you will need to do a risk analysis and management plan for your visit. Points to remember: Be sure to brief students on outdoor safety before the visit, and remind them again on arrival to take care. Students are to stay together at all times and under no circumstance are they to wander off by themselves. Have parents/helpers well briefed on their responsibilities - mainly to know exactly where their charges are at all times. For further in-depth information on outdoor safety refer to: Education Outdoors New Zealand (EONZ) For information about EONZ, publications and resources, and local contacts, check out their website: Safety and EOTC: A good practice guide for New Zealand schools (Ministry of Education, 2002) Managing Risks in Outdoor Activities (Mountain Safety Manual 27, 1993) Outdoor safety management systems for primary and intermediate schools (Education Outdoors New Zealand, 1998) Outdoor Activities: Guidelines For Leaders (SPARC) Be WaterWise programmes (Water Safety New Zealand) 23

4 WETLAND SITE FACILITIES 1. Ngaroto Comprising approximately 41.6 hectares, Ngaroto is the largest of a series of peat lakes located between Hamilton and Te Awamutu. The lake can be accessed from Bank Road, 19km south of Hamilton City and is a popular destination for a variety of recreational activities. Ryburn Rd N Ngaroto N Sing Rd Rd 3 Ngarotoiti 1m 2m 3m Ngaroto Te Awamutu- Meadways Rd Bank Rd 4m 3m 2m 1m depth of lake railway line stream 3 State H way 3 road scale: 1:63360 Ngaroto Rd 3 walkway toilets sailing club rowing club Bank Road Ngaroto has been used predominately for yachting, hunting, canoeing and rowing in the past. However, in recent years the lake area has undergone extensive restoration, with the planting of native vegetation and development of a high quality walking track around the lake. The walk will take a group approximately two hours to complete, depending on the number of planned stops. Facilities Facilities include parking, toilets and picnic areas on the lake edge. There are also interpretation panels explaining the history and restoration of the lake. 24

5 What you can do at Ngaroto 1. Interpretation panels give comprehensive information about the ecology and management of Ngaroto and can be used as lead-in information for a variety of study topics. 2. Full access to the lake edge, inlet streams and drains and the lake outlet provide good opportunities for the following activities: measuring water clarity measuring water temperature comparisons of water chemistry (for senior students) collection and identification of plankton (see page 40) 3. By learning about wetland birds and how to identify them before visiting Ngaroto (both by sight and sound), your students will be able to take note of what birds they find. Give your findings to Waikato ornithological groups and/or Forest and Bird branches. See page 45 for more information on wetland birds. 4. Many different ecological studies of lake fauna and flora can be done at Ngaroto: Plankton are easily caught by scooping them up in a net (see page 40). Nets will also catch a range of damsel and dragon fly larvae in spring, summer and autumn. There are several fish species in the lake. Fishing for exotic fish such as rudd, carp and catfish are popular and study topics based around fishing are worth trying at all class levels. Remember it is an offence under the Conservation Act and Biosecurity Act to transport several kinds of introduced fish so put anything that looks like a fish back where you got it from! rudd plankton net 5. Ngaroto is particularly rich in cultural heritage, with extensive Maori occupancy in the past. A visit to the Te Awamutu Museum would greatly enhance history, social studies and cultural projects centred around Ngaroto. 25

6 2. Ruatuna N McGregor Rd Ngahinapouri-Ohaupo Rd Ohaupo 3 Close to Ohaupo, Ruatuna is a small lake, set up in the 1970s to provide students with an outdoor camping facility close to Hamilton. It offers excellent camping facilities with BBQ and picnic area, canoes and a large room for indoor activities. Forkert Rd Ryburn Rd Ruatuna recreation reserve Ngarotoiti Rd Rotomanuka Serpentine Access from Ryburn Road. For campsite bookings and use of buildings and boats contact: Melville Intermediate School Mount View Road Hamilton Tel: Fax: Sing Rd Ngaroto railway line 3 Please note that there will be a small charge to help pay for the maintenance of facilities. What you can do at Ruatuna Ruatuna has been extensively used by school groups in the past and resource material specific to this lake has already been developed. Contact Melville Intermediate School (see above) for more information on resource material. N Ruatuna The presence of a jetty, and the availability of boats, makes this an ideal location for students to go out onto the water. Using the boats and from studies on the shore, students can study topics such as pest fish (see page 54), water weeds (see page 47), plankton (see page 40) and birdlife (see page 45). Ryburn Road jetty Camp Building Private House Recreation Reserve 26

7 3. Kaituna ( B ) Although the lake area itself is administered by the Department of Conservation, access to Kaituna is through the property of Andrew and Jenny Hayes. Bookings Please book your class visit to Kaituna with Andrew and Jenny Hayes. Contact them on Tel: Location One of the Horsham Downs s, Kaituna is located approximately 15km north of Hamilton. From State Highway 1 north of Hamilton, turn off the highway at Horotiu and cross the Waikato River. You ll get to a T intersection with River Road turn left, then turn right about 500m down the road onto Road. You ll come across Kainui ( D ) on your left (north). A bit further on is Kaituna ( B ), on the right. The access to Kaituna is about 150m past the access to Kainui, on the right. Take the large tanker driveway (number 400) up to the milking shed on the Hayes property. The Hayes Family After their involvement in a successful community project to restore Kainui ( D ), the Hayes family were keen to start improving Kaituna a smaller peat lake within the boundaries of their farm. Support for their project has come from the Department of Conservation, Environment Waikato, a neighbour and local duck shooters. Extensive areas of willow have been cleared and either planted with natives or left for native vegetation to regenerate. In addition, walkways have been put in making it an excellent, easily accessible location for class groups. What s even better is that native wildlife is already beginning to return to the area! Road Kaituna size in 1976 Kainui 400 milking shed parking Kaituna size in 2001 gate toilet houses Hayes house Kaituna size in 1961 Horsham Downs Road Map not drawn to scale. 27

8 Toilets There are no toilets available at Kaituna, however there are toilet facilities at Kainui ( D ). Brief students before you leave school that there are no toilets at Kaituna and make sure they go to the toilet before leaving. Make arrangements with the Hayes to obtain a key to unlock the gate at Kainui, so you can get access to a toilet. Access Drive up the tanker driveway and park away from the house and cowshed access. You will be met by either Andrew or Jenny Hayes, who will direct you to the main study sites. The Hayes have endeavoured to provide a safe environment for school visits. Schools need to take appropriate care and responsibility for their students while on the Hayes property. Remember this is a working farm so students should be briefed about the following: wearing suitable footwear appropriate behaviour around stock leaving gates as you find them keeping away from any machinery What you can do at Kaituna School groups have the opportunity to be a part of this lake restoration project. It s an ideal site for repeat visits you ll be able to see the progress being made to restore the lake. Compare your findings from year to year. The following activities can be carried out at Kaituna: 1. Look at the map on page 27. Why do you think the lake area (open water) has shrunk over time? What role have willows played in this shrinkage? What are the Hayes family doing to protect the lake? 2. With the aid of books and diagrams, identify some of the native plants growing around the lake. Which ones are native and which are introduced? What impacts have the introduced plants had on the lake? 3. Use plankton nets to collect plankton. Investigate your findings either on the lake edge or take back to school for more indepth observation under a microscope (see page 40). 4. Do a spot of birdwatching. What birds can you see? See page 45 for more information. 5. Use a water investigation kit from Environment Waikato to make a record of water temperature and clarity. You can loan these kits from the environmental education team at Environment Waikato. 28

9 4. Whangamarino Wetland Scale 1:60000 N Kopuera Stream Waikato River Whangamarino River Maramarua River Kopuku Stream Finlayson Rd West Rd Meremere Island Block Rd v P Drake Rd 1 Whangamarino River Whangamarino River Springhill Rd Falls Rd Whangamarino Rd 1 Reao Stream Waikiekie Stream Wattle Rd Key: Whangamarino Wetland Road Paddy Rd Stream Swan Rd Railway line v Viewpoint P Parking at old school site Te Kauwhata Located north of Te Kauwhata, east of Meremere and Mercer and south of Maramarua, the Whangamarino wetland covers about 7,500 hectares. It is a mosaic of peat bogs, mineralised and semi-mineralised swamps and water channels. 29

10 Access At present there are no access sites suitable for class-sized groups within the Whangamarino wetland. However, it is hoped that access will be available in the near future, with the construction of boardwalks and interpretation panels. Currently there are views of the wetland when driving east from Te Kauwhata along Waerenga Road, turning left into Falls Road and left into Island Block Road (see map on page 29). Parking and limited access are available at the old school site on Island Block Road. What you can do at Whangamarino Wetland 1. Views from higher vantage points on Falls Road and Island Block Road give opportunities to study vegetation zonation patterns of both swamp and peat wetlands. 2. Water sampling can be undertaken at the Falls Road boat ramp in the Whangamarino River. Measure the following: water clarity temperature water chemistry (senior students) (a water sampling kit is available from Environment Waikato) 3. Use the Environment Waikato webiste: to find out the level of the Whangamarino River over the last seven days. Compare this with rainfall over the same period (and just prior if necessary). Print out and analyse the data. Watch this space! This section of the Waikato Wetlands kit will be updated when development of access and walkways has occurred. 30