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NATIONAL SCIENCE WEEK: School students dive into river conservation

August 16, 2005

Gunnedah school studentsWorking weekends and through lunch hours has paid off for five Gunnedah high school students who have won a Northern NSW river conservation competition. The competition was held in preparation for the 2005 International River Health Conference.

The five Year 8 students from St Mary’s College, Gunnedah beat finalists from O’Connor Catholic College and Presbyterian Ladies College, Armidale to win first prize and the chance to make a presentation to 500 school students from around the world at the International River Health Conference, to be held in Mildura on October 16-18.

The winning students impressed judges from The University of New England with their knowledge of efforts by Gunnedah Council to restore their local waterhole, Mullibah Lagoon. For their entry they gave a 40-minute presentation, which included a working model of a gross sediment trap, grass beds and native reeds installed by the council to reduce solid waste and pollution flowing into the lagoon. They also made an 11-minute video about the lagoon, which spoofed the nature films of David Attenborough and featured a stuffed koala named “Karie”.

Edward Hoddle, 14, said a large storm water pipe had been at the heart of pollution problems at Mullibah Lagoon.

“Storm water was going straight into the lagoon, full of rubbish and other pollutants,” Edward said. “But now, thanks to a gross pollutant trap, it filters out anything larger than a match head. So goodbye all your Coke cans, cigarette butts and other disgusting things.

“Grassy swale takes out the awful toxins such as oil and detergents,” he said. “A sediment pond is the final stage of the filtration process. It is the deepest part of the lagoon. It allows water to slow down so particles, soil and minerals fall to the bottom.”

Dr Paul Frazier, from the School of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resources Management at UNE, said he and fellow judge Dr Darren Ryder had been highly impressed by the calibre of the finalists.

“The enthusiasm they showed was just terrific and they demonstrated an excellent knowledge of their local river systems,” Dr Ryder said. “Their knowledge of riparian systems was as good as some of our Bachelor of Natural Resources students. It’s great to see young kids showing an interest in aquatic issues.”

Each of the finalist schools received a $300 grant from UNE to buy equipment for their science labs and the winners will receive a fully paid trip to attend the International River Health Conference in Mildura.

Media contact: Dr Paul Frazier, School of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resources Management, UNE on (02) 6773 2404 or Leon Braun, UNE Public Relations on (02) 6773 3771. A photograph is available to accompany this story.

Posted by Leon Braun at August 16, 2005 10:24 AM