Andrew found the only pitfall in a tree house challenge

I WAS reading an email at 40m above forest floor level. It was from Sue Baker, one of the expedition scientists, during the second-last week of the Tree House Challenge last term.

Dr Sue, as thousands of participating students knew her, had been answering their questions as well as joining our climbing team in the field.

“How about we set pitfall traps later in the week and then analyse what we find with students by bringing them into the university?” Dr Sue wrote in her email.

Bringing primary school students into the UTAS School of Biological Sciences labs to peer down microscopes at spiders and insects from a real field expedition was a great idea.

Dr Sue and I placed the lit- tle traps in the field after a successful visit by the Eco Team from Windermere Primary School.

After leaving the pitfall traps undisturbed for a week we collected them as the Tree House Challenge expedition concluded.

Most of the 3000 participating students clicked off the website and went back to learning as usual.

But for two Lenah Valley Primary classes we had one more mini-adventure to come.

They joined us at the university to check the contents of the pitfall traps.

Dr Sue Baker and Dr Rob Wiltshire headed a team of volunteers from the faculty, steering the students through a series of activities designed to delight and engage these future naturalists, forest scientists, microscope technicians or arborists.

Thanks to everyone who supported the Tree House Challenge. You can relive the adventure at www.expeditionclass.com. The Tree House Challenge was an Expedition Class initiative by the Bookend Trust with support from the Pennicott Foundation, Forest Education Foundation, UTAS School of Biological Sciences, ICS Multimedia, Sustainable Timber Tasmania, Sea to Summit, The D4 Portaledge and Mercury NIE.