Alps expedition inspires local teacher

A BELLBRAE Primary School teacher who spent a week in the Australian Alps as a biodiversity research expedition member has committed to sharing the skills and knowledge developed on the journey with his students.

Lachlan Hurrell says he was “so very grateful” to be selected alongside five other Australian teachers and 30 of Australia’s leading environmental scientists to travel to the Pilot Wilderness Area near Jindabyne last month, with the aim to map and discover new species.
“One of the greatest things was doing a live cross with three scientists to about 400 Bellbrae students, and the kids got a Q&A with scientists, they were buzzing from it,” he said.

“They asked such clever questions to do with jumping spiders that are tiny; ‘How do they produce the silk that comes out if they’re so small?’… I just thought ‘That’s a pretty complex question for a six-year-old to come up with’.”

Mr Burrell was working alongside scientists from the Melbourne Museum when they discovered three new spider species in the Bush Blitz expedition.

“There is so much we don’t know about the world,” he said.

The performing arts and music teacher also runs an engagement program one day a week called Connected Kids, that’s designed to engage students with the natural environment and his journey to the Alps has given him added impetus to draw on his previous wildlife conservation studies.

“I am in the process of writing a grant to be able to run biodiversity focused educational programs for Bellbrae students, with skills learnt from this experience,” he said.

A target study area includes Spring Creek, and he’s applying to not-for-profit organisation Earthwatch for assistance.

“Just to get the kids out and study what’s in their back yard,” he said.