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Doug

Bega Valley PS Stage 2 Camp

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Yes it is windy but no severe weather alert for our part of the coast so we are going ahead as planned.  The Hobart Beach Shelter Shed is the central point for our activities and it provides shelter from the westerlies. Putting up tents will be a challenge but there will be plenty of support for teachers and students – the joys of camping! We’ll having fun exploring the park and learning how to cope with the weather!

Max 25
Sunny.
Chance of any rain: 5% 

Sunny. Winds westerly 25 to 40 km/h tending northwesterly 20 to 25 km/h in the evening then becoming light in the late evening.

http://www.bom.gov.au/nsw/forecasts/bega.shtml

 

Doug

CDAT Camp – change in pick up time to 12:00pm

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The  Fire Danger Rating (FDR) for the Far South Coast is changing from today’s HIGH  to VERY HIGH tomorrow (Friday, 24/10/19) with strengthening warm to hot north to north-westerly winds ahead of a cold front.

The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) forecast for Merimbula  for Friday shows a maximum of 31 deg C with light winds becoming north to northwesterly 25 to 35 km/h in the morning then becoming northwesterly 35 to 50 km/h in the middle of the day.

At 3:03pm  today the BOM has also issued a FIRE WEATHER WARNING for the Far South Coast – “Warm, dry and windy conditions will result in elevated fire dangers for the eastern parts of the state”

Just to be on the safe side, we have decided to bring forward the departure time to avoid the worst of these conditions, especially since the bush is so dry at the moment.

  1. The current program will be altered to keep the students in the vicinity of our established evacuation/shelter sites at the Field Studies Hut and Bournda Lagoon.
  2. The current program will be altered to allow for an earlier lunch and departure (12:00pm). If you are picking up students, please note this earlier time.
  3. If the 5am forecast is worse, or conditions show signs of deteriorating, staff will plan for an even earlier departure or cancellation of the program. Again schools will be notified.
  4. Any further changes will be notified to schools and via the BEEC Website, Facebook and Twitter
  5. If you have any concerns or wish to discuss these plans do not hesitate to contact Bournda EEC Principal, Doug Reckord 0428 267 956 or the Bournda EEC office  64945009
  6. BEEC Staff will monitor the weather forecast tonight and early (around 5am) tomorrow for any changes and will continue to monitor the Fires Near Me app. We have mobile notifications activated for Fires Near Me
  7. Be alert, but not alarmed and note the 12pm pick up at the Field Studies Hut – see map for location details
Doug

Merimbula PS Stage 2 History program

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Very sad to have to postpone the day tomorrow due to the Severe Weather Alert for damaging winds.  It is predicted to be windier than today and the conditions are forecast to be unpleasantly cold and dangerous around trees.  So we will regroup to organise another day.  As always thank you to the MPS staff for their work organising outdoor activities. We only wish that it was also forecast to rain a lot; that would make a postponement something to celebrate!

Doug

World Environment Day action

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World Environment Day is the United Nations Environment Program’s (UNEP) most important day for encouraging worldwide awareness and action for the protection of our environment. Since it began in 1974, it has grown to become a global platform for public outreach that is widely celebrated in over 100 countries.  Stage 2 and Stage 3 students from Wolumla PS, Tathra PS, Eden PS, Towamba PS, Bega Valley PS and Wyndham PS got together to learn about video production and animation and have produced a positive video message for World Environment Day 2019. The theme is #BeatAirPollution and these students have put their creative skills and enthusiasm into this positive World Environment Day message!

Doug

Dr Ceridwen Fraser chats with About Regional

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A wonderful chat between Dr Ceridwen Fraser, Associate Professor at University of Otago, and Ian Campbell from About Regional.  Dr Fraser talks about her experiences embarking on a career in science and touches on issues affecting women in science.  A small crew of students from Bega High School were there with others joining the webinar online.

We will report an update on the genomic analysis of bull kelp that we sent to Dr Fraser when those results become known!

Thanks to Inspiring Australia for supporting this initiative!

 

 

 

Dr Ceridwen Fraser in the lab

Doug

Holiday fun that will last a LIFETIME!

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Title page of the multi-touch book

Looking for something to do with the family this school holiday/Easter break?  Something that will keep the kids and you occupied for a ……LIFETIME!

Then go ahead and download a copy of the Bournda EEC/Atlas of Life multi-touch book, “Exploring and Mapping our Living World – with the Atlas of Life and NatureMapr”. Created by Bournda EEC teacher Julie Donne, this wonderful teaching resource will be introduce you to the wonderful world of citizen science, where you can play an important role in mapping the biodiversity of our local region.  Has that spider ever been sighted before?  Is that bird out of its normal range? Has anyone sighted that butterfly at this time of the year?  So many great scientific questions that could be answered through the sightings that you make in your backyard, local national park, on your farm….ANYWHERE!

Page view from multitouch book

Produced in partnership with the Sapphire Coast Regional Science Hub and Sustainability Education Network and the Atlas of Life in the Coastal Wilderness, the book features stunning images of local biodiversity by local naturalists. There are step-by-step instructions on how to use the NatureMapr app to record your sightings. Eventually the data you record becomes part of the CSIRO’s Atlas of Living Australia biodiversity database which has nearly 85 MILLION occurrence records.

Download from the iBook store

Screenshot of multi-touch book

 

Doug

Eden PS Dinosaurs

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EDEN PS PROGRAM AT BOURNDA

Monday 25th March

There could be a bit of rain around but we are hoping it will hold off till this afternoon. If students have a raincoat or umbrella that will help. It will be quite warm so don’t forget the hat, sunscreen and water bottle! 

See you at Bournda!

 

Doug

FREE AAEE NSW SUSTAINABILITY EDUCATION WORKSHOP

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Planning a best practice project and introducing “Take Me Outside”

Tuesday 19 February 2019– Bournda Environmental Education Centre, Sapphire Coast

This workshop is essential for anyone working on sustainability education projects or engaging with the community on environmental issues.

Learn the steps to planning a best practice Sustainability Education and Engagement project and discover how the new nature connection program ‘Take Me Outside’ can help your school, community group or government organisation.

Students surveying biodiversity in Wallagoot Lake

 

 

 

 

 

 

Limited spaces are available- so book your place now at https://www.aaeensw.org.au/events/free-sustainability-education-workshop-sapphire-coast

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

Whether you are from local or state government, a school, non-government organisation, community group or business, this workshop is an essential part of your professional development for 2019.

  • Do you educate or engage with residents, students, landholders, community groups, businesses or colleagues on environmental issues?
  • Are you looking for project ideas, activities, resources and support to help students, educators and community members to get outdoors?
  • Do you have to report back to your organisation on how your education and engagement projects are helping our environment?
  • Would you like to know how to enhance your programs so that they incorporate best practice principles?
  • Are you interested in finding out how to work collaboratively with other organisations and sectors in your region?
Doug

Life Ready at Bournda EEC

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LIFE READY

A big thank you to the Bega High School PEHEPD staff and Year 10 students for the last two days of Life Ready activities at Bournda. The BHS school community has been through a terrible week but the students turned up ready to participate and showed a very resilient attitude.

Doug

Birds of a Feather – Best Practice Case Study

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BIRDS OF A FEATHER – BEST PRACTICE CASE STUDY

Bournda EEC has finalised the Australian Association for Environmental Education, NSW Chapter Leadership for Sustainability Program and recently completed our Birds of a Feather project with other Sapphire Coast Regional Science Hub members. The Science Hub also acts as a Regional Sustainability Educators Network (RSEN), collaborating on a wide range of projects and is working on a strategic plan for 2019.

Thank you to Erika Van Schellebeck, the AAEE Coordinator for helping us with the project. Erika secured extra time and resources to help us get the project finished after we were delayed because of the Tathra fire.

BIG THANK YOU to Pambula Public School and Tathra Public School teachers and students for your interest and enthusiasm.

Thanks to our Hub/RSEN partners Atlas of Life in the Coastal Wilderness for their assistance. Other helpers were Far South Coast Birdwatchers Inc. NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service and the  Far South Coast Conservation Management Network

The project was funded by Bournda Environmental Education Centre and the NSW Government Environmental Trust through the AAEE project.

Motion Camera work