Project PurposeTo trial the provision of a suitable, safe nesting site in the Herdsman Lake Regional Park for the Oblong Turtle, Chelodina oblonga, to achieve the following.

• Collectionofturtlewatchdatafor future environmental impact assessment and management action.

• Communitycontributionandcollaboration between the school, government partners and other stakeholders.

• Promotionofconnectivitytonaturein the local neighbourhood through active,hands-onparticipationbyschoolandcommunitymembers.

• Promotionofstudentandcommunityinterestinsciencewithafocuson‘wholesystemsthinking’, that is, establishing interrelationships between issues impacting on the wetlands and understanding phenomena as an integrated whole.

Project ProgramThe project was undertaken over atwoyearperiod,March2006–February2008.Thesitewaslocatedon the north-eastern side of Herdsman Lakeinacomparativelyflat,open,rectangular(50mx25m)areaabout30mfromthewater(Figure 1).Itwasa10minutewalkfromtheschool.Students,communitymembersand/or staff from the school conducted the followingweeklyactivities.

• Monitorconditionsatthesiteandinthe surrounding area.

• Meetstakeholderstodiscussdevelopments and arrange the control of weed species.

• Makeobservationsatthesiteof:pollution; preferred nesting places (Figure 2);andthecharacteristicshape of predated nests (Figure 3).

• Recordobservationsanddevelopments such as the number of predated turtle nests found.

• Participateinnightstalkstoseekdataonthepredator/s.

• Discussfindings,makeandimplement recommendations to improve outcomes for the turtles.

ResultsThe turtles used the provided site for nesting, but it was not safe as all the observed nests were predated (Figures 2—4).

Turtle Watch Data–Duringthestudyperiod 31 predated turtle nests were found in the trial site, with another 4 predatednestslocatedinthenearbyvicinity.Nolivehatchlingswereobserved at the site, however 9 were seen in the surrounding area (Figures 5 & 6).Recommendationsrelatedtotheimportance of weed control, predator control, pollution control and ongoing turtle population monitoring.

Community Contribution–Collaborationbetweenstakeholderswastimelyandeffectivethroughoutthe project. An efficient, cooperative, close working partnership between DECstaffandtheschoolwasavitalfeature. Students, staff and other communitymemberswereinvolvedin hands-on activities at the site. Other collaboration included officers fromtheNaturalHistoryMuseumofWesternAustralia,theCityofStirlingand the Herdsman Lake Wildlife Centre.Continuedcollaborationwasrecommended.

Connectivity to Nature–Enhancedstudentandcommunityconnectivityto the Herdsman Lake environs, as shownbyimprovedknowledge,skills,behaviours and values related to the lakeecosystem.Furtheropportunitiesfor participation were recommended.

Interest in Science–Enhancedstudentandcommunityinterestand knowledge about the life cycleoftheturtleandwetlandsenvironment.Participantsdisplayedimproved understandings about the interrelationships between all componentsoftheecosystemandwider governance and eco-service systemsinvolvedinitsmanagement.Student motivation and focus were high,withexamplesofenhancedcare for the wetlands and positive environmental behaviours transferred toothercontexts.Ongoingscienceexperiencesinreal-lifesettingswererecommended.

Lessons Learnt–Needmore:integration of environmental projects into cross-curricula school programming; and funding for consultant support and project management.

ConclusionsA suitable nesting site for the Oblong Turtle was provided, however the site was not safe due to predation. Theschoolandlocalcommunitymade a valuable contribution to the projectbyworkingcooperativelywith government agencies on this real-life issue of environmental concern.Evidencewasobtainedandrecommendations made to support the decision-making processes related to environmental impact assessment and management of the Park.

Turtle Watch:Community Contribution to Environmental Impact AssessmentElaine Lewis, Catherine Baudains, Caroline Mansfield

In2005,communitymembersofanindependentprimaryschoolinthePerthmetropolitanareaofWesternAustraliaexpressedconcernaboutevidentthreatstothelocalturtleslivinginnearbywetlands.Earlyinvestigationsuggested that road deaths and a lack of suitable nesting sites were impacting ontheturtlepopulation.Toexaminetheissuefurther,andwiththeaimtoimprovetheturtles’localhabitat,theschoolsuccessfullyappliedforaCommunityConservationGrant.Thesubsequentprojectinvolvedclosecollaborationbetweentheschool,theDepartmentofEnvironmentandConservation(DEC),thelocalcouncilandotherorganisations.

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For further information contact:

Elaine LewisEdD Candidate

Email: 19105349@student.murdoch.edu.au

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