The recent Year 7 Science Excursion to Herdsman Lake Wildlife Centre allowed me to contrast the weather of our seasons. On my first journey the last day of a very wet winter created delays as students ran onto buses to avoid rain and being held up in long traffic jams. My second journey revealed a distinct change to Spring, with the warm, vibrant day giving way to wildflowers in bloom and scores of ducklings following their mothers as they searched for the same things we were – bugs in the mud!
Students were on the excursion as part of their Biology studies, learning about the different classification systems of animals and measuring environmental factors to determine the impacts humans have made on one of the only remaining lakes in the Perth metropolitan area.
Once we arrived, students were greeted by a guide, Mr Rod Mifflin, who told students that the Noongar people have been using the lake since well before the first pharaohs of Egypt existed and that eighty percent of the freshwater lakes in the metropolitan area have been filled in to allow for housing and agriculture. Students sat attentively, taking notes, as Rod spoke of the plight of the moaning frog, oblong turtle and harrier eagle due to urban development and a lack of foresight in planning for sustainability.
Students then broke off into three groups to examine the lake more closely. They went on a tour of the area and took notes in the field as Rod regaled them with his knowledge and insight into all the types of organisms living along the banks. Students took samples of the water and used data loggers and probes to measure abiotic factors such as temperature and salt levels. The highlight of the excursion was scooping mud out of the lake and students coming to terms with the myriad of invertebrates that live in the mud just below the water’s edge. We all then moved back in the conference centre for one final discussion on the importance of making change now and inciting students to care for the real wildlife as opposed to the latest Pokemon Go! craze. Finally, Rod let out his pet turtle, Stanley, who instinctively knew to clamber straight towards the most terrified student sitting in the circle!
As we reboarded our buses, students had an opportunity to reflect on the importance of fieldwork. Science is not always about test tubes and laboratories, but always about discovering the nature of the worlds that exist around us.
Written by Jes Phillips (Year 7)