Barwon Primary students care for the region’s coast

BARWON Heads Primary School students have spent term three honing their skills as the next generation of coastal conservators in partnership with the region’s land managers.

Barwon Coast Community Liaison and Education Manager Maddie Glynn said the more than 60 grade six students were “wildlife warriors” for their work helping to identify threatened species, clean up weeds and rubbish in often difficult weather and terrain.

In a session focused on citizen science, they took part in the Barwon Heads Friends of the Bluff BioBlitz Project by identifying and taking pictures of native plants and animals on the coastal trail that were then uploaded to the iNaturalist app for species confirmation by scientists.

A one hectare section of the Ocean Grove Spit is also freer from the invasive weed European Rocket as a result of their work.

“They worked so hard to meticulously remove plants that ranged from two centimeters to 30cm in height,” Ms Glynn said.

“The students work will ensure that the native Spinifex grass can continue to thrive here…important as the Spinifex binds the sand to rebuild the dune system.

“This keeps the dune undulated to provide valuable habitat for wildlife such as the threatened Hooded Plover.”

Heavy weeding was followed by litter audits of three Barwon Heads sites, the Ozone and Bluff trails and the Frank Ellis Reserve.

“Cigarette butts were the most littered item, with 697 being picked up on the day. Broken glass was the second most littered item with 138 pieces being picked up, the majority of this coming from the Bluff trail,” Ms Glynn said.

“Next time you come to the coast, please remember the hard work these students have done…they were out in unfavourable conditions, tackling some difficult jobs.

“By understanding how everything in nature is connected and how our every-day actions can impact on these connections, (we hope) students go away from their work with Barwon Coast empowered to know how to best care for the coast”.