Kids loving environmental science
Nature Spotters kids are taking part in a unique new environmental after school program in their own 'backyard'.
Nature Spotters is an after-school program running in both Wellington and Dubbo coordinated by Mid Macquarie Landcare.
Designed to provide an off-screen engaging experience for kids and teens, each group is supported to explore their local natural environment, with a focus on the Wambuul Macquarie River which weaves through both towns.
Each week the program focuses on a different topic. Kicking off on Term 3 of 2025, the groups have already undertaken a session on:
- waterbugs (collecting waterbugs from the river, identifying them, and using the water quality tolerance of each species as an indicator of the water quality of the river in the area) and
- flying foxes (spotting them by the river at Wellington, and learning their importance as a keystone species for the role they play in pollination of native trees).
Guest speakers are invited to present some of the sessions, such as Elizabeth Shepherd - Wires volunteer and flying fox expert, and "Turtle Man" Michael Gough, who breeds threatened species of turtles and advocates for their conservation. This enables the youth participants to be inspired by people who are making a difference in their field of environmental science.
"The participants are loving how much there is to see and explore when you start looking around in nature" Deb Cooke, Nature Spotters coordinator with Mid Macquarie Landcare notes.
"Often all we hear about is the larger animals such as platypus, birds and fish, so the kids were amazed to see how many different waterbugs there are in the river, and their importance in the food chain and keeping the river clean."
Nature Spotters sessions are run after school from 3:30 - 5:30pm in Wellington on Monday afternoons, and in Dubbo on Wednesday afternoons. The program costs $25 per student per term and is subsidised thanks to Landcare Australia Ltd's Jaramas Foundation.
For more information on the program, or if your child would like to join in the fun, contact:
M: 0422 220 875.