More than 500 Stage 3 students from Forbes, Parkes, Eugowra and Tullamore celebrated Schools Tree Day as part of Eco Day 2016 last Friday. Central West Lachlan Landcare (CWLL) provided bus travel and workshops to Year 5 and 6 students to enable them to be involved in a variety of environmental and rural related activities.
The workshops included making NetWaste Worm Farms, Plant Care and
Propagation with Bunnings, Travelbugs Insects, FishCare with volunteer Russell Spencer, who also talked about Wiradjuri culture, weeds demonstration and talk by the Forbes and Parkes Shire Councils and a saleyards tour with Cooper Byrnes from Langlands Hanlon.
The day finished with a hands-on workshop by Paul Kirk, also known as ‘The Snake Man’, and on invasive species. Paul allowed the students to get up close with reptiles, including pythons. He talked to them about snake safety, how to handle non-venomous snakes and what to do if bitten. Chris Lane and Jessica Marsh from Invasive Species CRC spoke about how domestic pets could become a pest in certain environments. They had a selection of preserved animals, monitoring devices, skins and traps that are used to manage invasive species.
“We want the kids to go away thinking about what they can do in their own homes and schools that can make a difference and prevent needless wastage. We hope that students leave the day with a wider perspective of the connection between humans and the environment that we live in,” said Margot Jolly, CWLL Chairperson.
The Central West Livestock Exchange facility is available for free for Eco Day each year and the contribution of staff at the Exchange is greatly appreciated. Bernardi’s Supa IGA provided sausages and bread for lunches, which were distributed by the Skillset Green Army Team. Funding to CWLL to run Eco Day activities was made available through the Central West Local Land Services. The day would not be possible without the support from the Forbes and Parkes Shire Councils, presenters, volunteers, Skillset Green
Army and schools from Parkes, Forbes, Eugowra and Tullamore.