....a partnership project between DOC and The Enviroschools Foundation is supporting conservation action.
DOC staff in Southland and Canterbury are working with Enviroschools Facilitators and schools on community conservation projects as part of a national pilot project. The project aims to identify how best to support schools to include action for biodiversity in their Enviroschools process.
Carew-Peel Forest School in Geraldine has adopted part of Peel Forest. With help from DOC, students are developing interpretation panels for the park and learning how to look after native geckos and skinks in their school grounds.
Le Bons Bay School in Akaroa is working with the community and DOC to protect nesting habitat of the endangered white-flippered penguin and alert residents and visitors to the dangers facing the birds. The community have successfully sought funding to surround the entire bay with a trap line – due to be in place in September – and the students are developing their monitoring skills with a view to monitoring penguin breeding areas to find out what else is part of the ecosystem.
Projects are also underway with Lochiel School and the Forest Hill Trust at Forest Hill in Southland - site of a proposed mainland island sanctuary; and with Pukerau School in Southland, supporting the conservation of the Red Tussock Reserve.
“The partnership with DOC enables young people in enviroschools to work alongside passionate experts in community conservation projects. The feedback from teachers so far has been fantastic - their students love working with DOC staff and are inspired by hands-on projects in their local environment, " said Heidi Mardon National Director of The Enviroschools Foundation.
