Seedlings November 2016

Message from the Educator

Helen Thomas

Sarah Galley

Change is on the Horizons (pardon the pun)!

As we get ready to sign off another year and bid farewell to 2016, I also get ready to say farewell for the next little while. It’s been a big year for Environmental Education: a new draft National Strategy Environmental Education for Sustainability, updated resources, new funding partners etc. It has been an equally big year for me with impending first-time parenthood. So as we say goodbye to 2016 and a tentative hello to the summer ahead of us, we also say hello to Sarah Galley, the new Environmental Educator. Sarah comes with a wealth of knowledge and experience, and I have no doubt will do a great job furthering the opportunities and experiences available for our Region’s tamariki. You can contact her here.

Term 1 is the ideal time for river studies in our Region. Exploring our waterways and encouraging future scientists is something we certainly enjoy. So if you are looking at the environment, focusing on water, or simply wanting to take advantage of some Education Outside the Classroom, get in touch today to lock us in. More information on Waiora is in this newsletter.

Helen Thomas and Sarah Galley, Environmental Educators

SWIMMING IN SUMMER

Here in the Horizons Region we tend to experience long, hot summers and that means plenty of time to relax at our many beautiful rivers, lakes and beaches. This summer, from 1 November onwards, we will be monitoring over 80 sites across the region. So it’s likely that if you swim at a particular spot, we will be able to tell you how healthy the water is.

If your child has been through our Waiora programme they will have learnt about some of the indicators of water quality. These include macroinvertebrate communities, algae, temperature, pH, conductivity, water flow and water velocity. The programme also teaches them about the ‘big picture’ in regards to what’s happening around our waterways and how that impacts the water quality.

Our freshwater scientists look for the same indicators (plus a few extras) when determining whether our beautiful spots are safe to swim.

To find out the current health of your favourite swim spot all you need to do is visit the Safe Swim Spots page on our website. Each site is graded according to a handy traffic light system and will be updated on a weekly basis so you can be rest assured that you are receiving the most recent information possible.

WHAT'S BEEN HAPPENING?

Summer Water Programme

With Christmas fast approaching and Term 4 rushing towards a close, why not start afresh in Term 1 with a water quality study at a stream local to your school. Learn about what we can do to support your learning with Waiora, our free water quality resource.

Challenge Day 2016

Our Challenge Day, was so successful last year, that we thought we’d bring it back again for the 2016 Conservation Week! Unlike last year, the Totara Reserve event had stunning weather.

Teams of two students from twelve local schools competed in a set of environmental challenges to learn about their local environment and how they contribute to its sustainability. Activities, manned by Horizons staff, included identifying native and introduced fish, freshwater invertebrates and plants, labelling predator tracks from tracking tunnel ink pads, and completing a ‘Are you a Surviva?’ game to help prepare children for an emergency event. Points were gained for each challenge completed correctly, with some worth more points than others.

First time entrants, Palmerston North Intermediate Normal School, were crowned Challenge Champions. Second place went to Awahou School with Woodville School in third. The winner’s prize pack included two family passes donated by Pukaha Mt Bruce for the competitors themselves, with the school receiving $100 to put towards an environmental project of choice. Palmerston North Intermediate Normal School allowed the winning students, Arlette and Aadesh, to decide how the money should be spent so they decided to purchase bird feeders to hang in trees to attract native birds to the school. Everyone can then enjoy the bird life at school and maybe observe these as part of science programmes. The other schools did not leave empty handed. Each received a native Kahikatea seedling to plant in their school grounds to continue the theme of sustainability.

It was awesome to see so many schools involved and well done to everyone who took part.

Internship Day 2016

Students’ whose projects received a highly commended award at this year’s Manawatu Science and Technology Fair 2016 were surprised to be offered a hands-on internship day at Horizons Regional Council.

Elizabeth Woodhouse of Cornerstone Christian School and Jayde Rolfe of Carncot School, both created projects around water quality. They joined Horizons staff to participate in activities including electrofishing, hydrology and freshwater, stream fencing, riparian planting, and fish passes. The day also included a visit to the Manawatu River floodgates and Burke's pump station to learn about flood protection measures.

Jayde Rolfe wrote a report which she presented at her school. If you would like to have a read, please click here.

The internship day was designed to give them the chance to extend and apply their project research in an applicable way. We wanted the students to ask the question of ‘so what?’ which would allow them to discover how science in action can inform communities and assist with policy making.

We were really impressed with their projects and we hope the experience inspires them to explore environmental science as a career option in the future.

ENVIROSCHOOLS

Download the brochure or see here for more information on the Enviroschools Programme. If you are keen to be involved, contact the Regional Coordinator.

Funding partners in our Region

A big thank you to all our funding partners for your on-going support of the Enviroschools Programme. You are enabling empowered youth and sustainable, on-going action that involves the wider community. A warm welcome to Ruapehu District Council for coming on board as a funding partner. Already the benefits are being felt with a new Facilitator and new Enviroschools.

Funding partners in our Region include: Ruapehu District Council, Whanganui District Council, Manawatu District Council, Tararua District Council, Rangitikei District Council, Palmerston North City Council, and Ruahine Kindergarten Association.

New faces on our facilitation team

We farewell Fiona from our facilitation team as she heads off on new ventures. The work she has done for the Tararua District and Palmerston North City Enviroschools has been instrumental in moving the programme forward. In her place we welcome Georgina to the team who is already adding value to our Enviroschools whānau and to the kaupapa. We also welcome Natasha as the Facilitator for the Ruapehu District. With her enthusiasm and knowledge of Enviroschools she is well placed to invigorate the programme in our newest Enviroschools district.

Georgina and Natasha join Rowena (Manawatu District), Ron (Whanganui and Rangitikei Districts), Shelley and Tessa (Ruahine Kindergarten Association) as part of our regional facilitation team.

We also farewell Helen, our Regional Coordinator for Enviroschools. Working hard at growing the next generation, she is off to have a baby! In her place Sarah has taken up the mantle of Regional Coordinator. Plenty of change, new faces, and new opportunities. 2017 is promising to be a good year!

New Enviroschools!

Our Region is growing thanks to the support provided by our regional partners. In 2016 we are welcoming nine new Enviroschools to the whānau: Barnardos Kidstart Childcare Roslyn, Matariki Rudolf Steiner Kindergarten in Palmerston North City; National Park School, Ohakune Primary School, and Tokirima School in the Ruapehu District; St George’s Preparatory School in the Whanganui District; Feilding Kindergarten, Hokowhitu Kindergarten, and Roslyn Kindergarten in the Ruahine Kindergarten Association.
To the nine new Enviroschools, welcome! We look forward to seeing your unique journeys toward empowering your tamariki and building a future-focused, sustainable community.

He rā ki tua - better things are coming.

Spotlight On: Norsewood's Country Kids have Bronze Reflection

Country Kids in Norsewood officially joined the Enviroschools whānau in 2014. They are a rural early childhood centre that caters for up to 35 tamariki and embraces their community’s Danish heritage. They have achieved so much in their short time as an Enviroschool thanks to the dedication and enthusiasm of their teaching staff and community. This was recognised as they reflected at a bronze level; the first reflection in a number of years for the district.

The reflection day was a huge success with the whole centre showing pride in their achievements and walking the talk. Parents, ex-staff, Tararua District Council representatives, the Enviroschools Regional Coordinator, the Facilitator for the Tararua District, and other members of the community were shown around the centre with a focus on recycling, water conservation resources, growing food, looking after the centre’s chickens and pony, composting, and many photo montages of their regular visits to a local forest area. The celebration was marked with ‘hygge’ (pronounced 'hooga'), a traditional Danish way to eat and share together.

The day was a great opportunity for the children to show parents and the community about the projects and progress that Country Kids is making on their Enviroschools journey. Congratulations to Country Kids for achieving bronze. We’re proud of you, and you should be proud too. Keep up the good work!

Enviroschool Wins Regional Young Enterprise Scheme

We’re really proud of what the students at Palmerston North Girls’ High School have been doing. Their new venture has encouraged entrepreneurship on a grand scale amongst our youth. Read more about it here. As well as using recycled materials, the students decided that their new company should have a positive social impact. They donated 20 per cent of their profit to support the education of a girl in a third-world country. They are also now a contender for the national Young Enterprise Company of the year. Keep an eye out on December 6 to see how they do, as well as an eye out next year to see how you can get your hands on one of their environmentally and socially conscious creations.

IDEAS

Whio Boot Camp

For online gaming fans, why not try out Whio Boot Camp which was created by the Department of Conservation to help raise awareness of our nationally vulnerable bird the whio, or blue duck. Whio are only found in New Zealand and live in fast flowing mountain rivers. The game involves players navigating the challenges of life as a fledgling whio in order to 'make it' in the wild.

ZEALANDIA Trading Card Game

ZEALANDIA, in collaboration with the Department of Conservation, came up with this fun and addictive game to teach students about our native birds and how to identify them. You can download lesson plans, print off your own cards and even get your students to design their own cards. Check them out here.

Funding Ideas and Sustainable Fundraising Tips

We all know that sometimes it is a struggle to find the funds to get projects off the ground and keep up the momentum. We’ve compiled a list to help get you started in this sometimes overwhelming process. Whether its funding and grant ideas, or new ideas for fundraising outside of the usual (chocolate) box, there are plenty of options and opportunities.

Draft National Strategy Environmental Education for Sustainability (EEfS)

If you were not already aware, the current National Strategy for Environmental Education, which was released in 1998, is being refreshed. The new draft is moving more towards Education for Sustainability rather than a focus on Environmental Education. This means that instead of purely teaching ‘about the environment’ and ‘in the environment’ in the hope that you can elicit a behaviour change, the new focus will be more holistic and explore values and actions that lead to positive outcomes. So looking at the connectedness with other systems such as social, economic, and cultural in conjunction with the environmental.