Students Hop Into Science

Students Justin Matthies and Lachlan Kirkbright happily examine their subject

Ever wondered what that noise at the bottom of the garden is?

By Tracey Matthies - 19th November 2002 - Back to News

Ever wondered if that noise at the bottom of the garden is a Marsh Frog, a Pobblebonk Frog, or even whether it’s a frog at all?

A group of keen students from four Latrobe Valley schools will almost certainly be able to answer such questions following a special science day in Morwell on Wednesday, November 13.

More than 40 children from Yinnar Primary and Morwell’s Commercial Rd, Crinigan Rd and Kode schools, as well as parents, teachers and community volunteers were trained in the skills and techniques required to conduct a frog census.

Science in Schools co-ordinator, Max Sargent, said it was a great opportunity for the children to work with real scientists and to be trained for a community based frog-monitoring program.

"This program will increase community knowledge of frogs found in the Morwell River Wetlands and Crinigan Rd Reserve, and improve our understanding of the distribution of frogs throughout the greater Latrobe Valley," Mr Sargent said, "It also provides an extra Waterwatch activity that is both enjoyable and educational for everyone involved."

The Morwell River Wetlands frog census and monitoring program is supported by the Amphibian Research Centre and its founder, Gerry Marantelli. President of the Victorian Frog Group, Gerry Marantelli is Australia’s leading expert and a world authority on husbandry and captive breeding of frogs. He is also a co-author of "The Frogwatch Field Guide to Victorian Frogs," and has worked extensively with Melbourne Water, Waterwatch and the Amphibian Research Centre to develop a similar community-based frog-monitoring program within greater Melbourne.

Mr Marantelli taught the Latrobe Valley group how to record frog calls and to identify the different types of frogs recorded. The trainees will continue to hone their skills by sending future tapes and identifications to Mr Marantelli for verification.

Mr Sargent said the group would eventually be able to train other members of the community to ensure that quarterly frog census’s could be conducted at both the Morwell River Wetlands and Crinigan Rd Reserve.

"The health of our frog population is an important indicator of the health of our environment so this is a great way of linking classroom science programs with the broader community," Mr Sargent said.

For further information please contact Max Sargent, Science in Schools co-ordinator on 5134 2329 during school hours.

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com