Kyneton Secondary College Big Dig report 2015

17 February

In late 2015 Kyneton Secondary College students participated in the Big Dig including a presentation at the Melbourne Museum and field trips & class sessions for year 7 classes.

The class sessions, which were followed by the Melbourne Museum event, went well and a small group of year 8 students who had participated in the program in 2014 worked on the presentation, developing graphics and researching creatures. Students were enthusiastic and enjoyed this session.

The field trips had been postponed because of fires and extreme weather and were held late-October with dry conditions.

The revegetation site on the banks of the Little Coliban River did not contain any ground timber and the soil was very dry but the site had a good covering of trees, shrubs and grasses. Students collected and went through soil samples and searched a range of habitats including in the Little Coliban River, amongst foliage, under bark and around ground plants. A good number of creatures were found.

In class sessions occurred on the same day as the field trip with students organising creatures found and beginning identification and reports.

It can be challenging to keep students focused for this part of the Big Dig as some are fascinated by what they have found and some are not interested at all, with the rest somewhere between the two. All students seemed to enjoy the overall experience, with most not having done anything similar before.

Results

Class Insecta

  • Ephemeroptera- 1
  • Odonata- 3
  • Plecoptera- 1
  • Mantodea- 1
  • Orthoptera- 1
  • Hemiptera- 12
  • Neuroptera- 1
  • Coleptera- 10
  • Diptera- 3
  • Lepidoptera- 4
  • Hymenoptera- 2

Total= 39

Class Arachnida

  • Araneae- 18
  • Acarina- 2
  • Pseudoscorpionida- 1

Total= 21

Class Crustacea- 2

Class Amphibia- 1

Class Gastropoda- 1

Unknowns- 6 (mix of small larvae and flying insects, photos not clear for id)

1 small (2-4mm) unknown in water sample.

Overall total = 71

A number of other creatures were found and not photographed or recorded

A number of creatures were found as both larvae and adults (mayflies. dragonflies, mosquitos, stoneflies)

The program was supported by Parks Victoria who helped to organise the site visit and talked to students about its history, Tylden Landcare who have been working to restore the site, Kyneton Secondary College teachers and students, Goulburn Murray Landcare education team, veski and John Caldow Bug Blitz coordinator.

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“Understanding ‘friendly microbes’ may well hold the key to preventing allergic diseases including asthma.”

Professor Benjamin Marsland

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