News

Today at Bournda EEC’s “Science in the Lab” Creative and Talented workshop, students from Merimbula PS, Wolumla PS and Eden PS took the lab outdoors! Using the 360 degree camera from the NSW Department of Education STEMShare Primary Virtual Reality kit, the students created some images which can be viewed using VR goggles.  They also had a go at the secondary VR kit AND still had time to do some fun experiments in the lab.

A great day thanks to the students’ positive behaviour and thinking skills!  Thanks also to teacher Luke Brown and Bournda EEC resident tech-whizz Phil Lord who helped us work it all out. Thanks also to the STEMShare program – we love it!!

Click on the Poly symbol to see the full images. For best results, open in Google Chrome.

Image display may take a little time.

As the fire situation in Tathra is close by, and still active, the Centre will not be operational Monday (19th March) and Tuesday (20th March). Several of our staff live in areas affected by the fire but everyone is safe which is great news.

Later today a fire did start near our Centre and it was put out through the skilled work of NPWS staff, with support from air-crew. Power lines brought down by the strong winds are the likely cause and the power was still out at around 9pm tonight. The fire is now extinguished but there will be likely to be some further operations around the fire ground tomorrow.

Thank you to Grant, Bobby, Terry, Bruce, Johan and Ross from NPWS for your work and to any other emergency services workers who contributed to the operation.

We are all very saddened by the events of today and thinking of all those who have been hit hard by the fire.

Unfortunately we are cancelling today’s Bega High School Year 10 program due to the forecast rain, with the chance of heavy rain and thunderstorms.  It is always disappointing to cancel but everyone wants more rain so we’ll be happy about that.

Bournda EEC would like to thank Mrs Morgan and the Bega High School staff for their  support of the program.  The students have been outstanding but today they won’t be out standing in the rain!

Tired but happy after walking from Tathra to Wallagoot

The story of how this wonderful trophy left the Bournda nest and flew to Tanja Public School will soon be told by ABC Open and the Bega District News!  Stay tuned for further details.

The inaugural Sapphire Coast Learning Community Bournda Bird Olympics was held on Thursday 27th July.

It was a fantastic day and the students from Tathra, Towamba, Tanja and Wolumla Public Schools were fine representatives for their school communities.

EVERY student had a go in the bird call section and there was magic in the room as the students showed off their skills!

Each school received a set of posters from the Gould League and each participant was awarded a “Looking at Birds on the Far South Coast of NSW”, generously donated by the Far South Coast Bird Watchers.

The students participated in six activities:  identifying bird calls; identifying birds from pictures; matching feathers to birds; bird knowledge quiz; bird creative art; and bird calling.

The official awards were:

Jack Lynch Memorial Award for the highest school total – Trophy donated by Robert Whiter and Georgies Fine Jewellery

Tanja Public School

Champion bird callers Bruce Chapman (Left) and Jim Burton with overall winners Tanja PS and the Jack Lynch Memorial Award.

Individual Prize for Best Bird Call – Gould League Book Prize

Kiana Murphy – Tathra PS

Highest Individual Scores – On the Perch Family Day Passes – donated by Steve and Linda Sass, On the Perch Bird Park.

Uluka Richardson – Towamba PS

Caleb Ingram – Tanja PS

Highest Individual Score from each school – BirdLife Australia – Endangered Bird pins donated by Richard Bomford

Caleb Ingram – Tanja PS

Kiana Murphy – Tathra PS

Uluka Richardson – Towamba PS

Cameron Love – Wolumla PS

Highest Team Bird Brains quiz score – Gould League book donation to school library

Tanja PS

The scores were very close with only a couple of marks between all the teams.  Tathra PS students were younger so theirs was a particularly meritorious performance.  Vanessa Milton from ABC Open, documented the event – check out Vanessa’s marvellous story on the “Champion Bird Callers of the South Coast”

We were fortunate to have a few champion bird callers of yesterday present; thank you to Jim Burton and Bruce Chapman for judging the bird calling. Other Bird Calling luminaries present were Gary Beveridge, Sandra Bray, Marg Liston, Fay Deveril, Elaine Cozens and Jill.   Don Bretherton (Merimbula-Imlay Historical Society) assisted with the display materials.

It was a pilot program but there was a definite vibe that it would be great to continue the event next year and to get more schools involved. Newspaper articles provided by the Merimbula-Imlay Historical Society, show that at it’s peak in the 1950s, the South Coast Bird Days, organised by Merimbula Public Principal Jack Lynch, were attended by up to 700 students and 200 adults!!

Thank you to our prize sponsors and thank you to the Merimbula-Imlay Historical Society for kindly loaning us their Bird Call display and bird call activity.

A big thank you to the Bird Brains behind this event – Peter Claxton, Principal of Wolumla Public; Nancy Blindell, SAM Towamba Public; Robert Whiter.

Inaugural BEEC Future Leaders winner, Harrison Warne with Amelia Telford (AYCC)

World Environment Day is tomorrow (5th June) and it is a great day to announce that Bournda EEC welcomes nominations from Year 12 students, who have shown strong environmental leadership and initiative, for the 2017 Bournda EEC Future Leaders Award.

The award is made possible with the generous support of Dr Helen Sykes from Future Leaders

http://www.futureleaders.com.au/

There are two $500 prizes to be awarded to eligible Year 12 students from NSW secondary schools in the South East of NSW.

Nominations close Friday 30^th June 2017 and the recipients will be announced at the beginning of Term 3.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you require further information/assistance.

Download the nomination form!

Bournda EEC Future Leaders Nomination Environment_Award_2017

Who doesn’t love exploring the bush just after rain?

The Stage 2 Environmental Science program will go ahead today (Wednesday 24th May). The rain should clear by mid-morning.

Bring a rain-coat and get ready to explore!

“Connecting People to Nature” at the 40th Bournda EEC World Environment Day Dinner

 A UN General Assembly resolution on the 15th December 1972 designated:

“5 June as World Environment Day and urges Governments and the organizations in the United Nations system to undertake on that day every year world-wide activities reaffirming their concern for the preservation and enhancement of the environment with a view to deepening environmental awareness…”

 World Environment Day is the United Nations Environment Program (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.

“Connecting People to Nature”, the theme for 2017, implores us to get outdoors and into nature, to appreciate its beauty and its importance, and to take forward the call to protect the Earth that we share. This year’s theme invites you to think about how we are part of nature and how intimately we depend on it. It challenges us to find fun and exciting ways to experience and cherish this vital relationship.

Bournda Environmental Education Centre has been hosting an annual dinner to celebrate World Environment Day for the last 40 years and this year the guest speaker is Dr John Merson.  Associate Professor John Merson was the Director of the Interdisciplinary Environmental Studies until 2012 and Head of the Graduate Research Program in Environmental Policy and Management at University of NSW. He is presently the Executive Director of The Blue Mountains World Heritage Institute, and has been a consultant to the UNESCO, APEC, IUCN, DEST & Dept. of Foreign Affairs. He was a member of the Australian Indonesia Steering Committee on Science and Technology, and the Australia Korea Forum.

He is the author of seven books and a wide range of academic papers and research covering issues of Environmental and Development, Adaptive Environmental Policy & Management and Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation. For his journalistic work, he is the recipient of a United Nations Media Peace Prize.

The dinner will also feature wonderful creative art and writing by local students which will then be displayed in local libraries throughout the Bega Valley.

The World Environment Day Dinner is on Monday June 5^th, at the Bega Valley Commemorative Civic Centre, with doors opening at 6pm for a 7pm start.

Tickets may be purchased, at a cost each of $40, from Candelo Books (Bega) with a cash sale or through Bournda Environmental Education Centre, phone 6494 5009.

For further details, please contact

Doug Reckord, Principal, Bournda EEC – 6494 5009

OCTO-PURSUIT!

Two octopuses. One crab. The chase is on in the shallows of Wallagoot Lake. Bournda EEC teacher Luke Brown has a knack of being in the right place at the right time to show students our amazing natural world and these Stage 1 students from Tathra Public School had a treat today! Some students were cheering on the “squid”.  Was anyone cheering on the crab?

Bournda Environmental Education Centre has been working with the Bega  Valley Community Drug Action Team (CDAT), on a camp that brings students from all four secondary schools together.

Bournda EEC thanks Paul Brunton and the CDAT for their support for the program. Thanks also to the students and teachers from participating schools!

http://www.begadistrictnews.com.au/story/4483277/nation-wide-interest-in-camp/

There is still time to register but be quick!

http://y53q.r.a.d.sendibm1.com/36oqqnv2qbf.html

Just right for starting a camp!

South Coast area

Cloudy. Very high (90%) chance of showers in the north, medium (60%) chance elsewhere. Areas of fog about the coastal ranges. Winds northeast to southeasterly 20 to 30 km/h tending northeasterly in the morning. Daytime maximum temperatures in the low to mid 20s.

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

Tathra Public School Year 6 Leadership Camp has been postponed due to the forecast rain. The forecast indicates more rain throughout the day. Hopefully it will bucket down – it’s needed.

http://www.bom.gov.au/jsp/watl/rainfall/pme.jsp

Bournda EEC will be supporting the GoMAD Challenge in 2017!  Check out the flyer and if you are a high school teacher in the South East who wants a great leadership opportunity for your students, get in contact with us.

Written by Liam Jolley; Year 10 Student at Bega High School

I’ve had a long week at the Bournda EEC. The week started with the Light to Light walk with Karabar High Sport, Leisure and Recreation led by Doug Reckord, Bournda EEC Principal. The Light to Light walk is a hike from Boyd Tower(near Eden) to the Green Cape light station, approx. 30 km. The walk encompasses much of the coastal fringes of the Ben Boyd National Park. This terrain includes soaring cliffs as well as heathlands, and the occasional historical settlement.

The walk was supposed to occur over three days, but due to technical difficulties; these mostly consisting of a bus that couldn’t keep its coolant inside of itself, the walk was shortened to two days. Although this didn’t hinder Karabar’s spirit. The group soldiered on though the second day, walking twice as far as they planned. The next day they finally arrived at Green Cape. They then caught a second bus to Bournda, driven by Doug, and enjoyed a well deserved shower. They headed home early the next day.

Meanwhile the student’s of Narooma Public’s grade 3 classes were just arriving at the National Park. For the first day the students were involved in a program called Significant Environments which included a guided tour of the National Park. Jules Donne and Luke Brown, teachers at the EEC, led the students around the famous sights of the park including Bondi and Wallagoot Lakes as well as Bournda Lagoon and its lookout. At which the students drew their own pictures of the landscape. The students then headed back to the camp for an early night.

The next day the students walked to the lagoon and rotated between three different kinds of activities. Firstly, the Challenge Games led by Bob Harris, EEC.These focused on the student developed teamwork skills and trust in one another. Second the Problem-solving Initiatives led by Jesse French, Naroooma PS. The initiatives focused on problem-solving and lateral thinking exercises. The final activity was run by Luke Brown, EEC and was a biodiversity survey of the lagoon. The students collected marine creatures of all kinds whilst Luke explained to the students the role they played in the ecosystem. The creatures were then released back into the lagoon. After completing the activities the NPS students walked back to camp, packed up, and with a final goodbye left.

All in all my work experience was tiring but immensely fulfilling. I think I came out of the experience better understanding the relevance of environmental education both in and outside of the classroom. I hope to return to the EEC soon although I think next time I’ll leave the teaching to the professionals.

(Thanks Liam, your work was much appreciated and helped us in a very busy week.  A big thank you to Mrs Morgan from Bega HS for organising Liam’s work experience.)

Just out of the EEC office we found these Lycaena butterflies which emerged today. Did you know that they have a relationship with ants called myrmecophily (interspecies association). They produce sugar rich secretions that attract ants. In return the ants protect the larvae and in some species the pupa also.