Creek study was an eye-opener
By Jennifer Unsworth, Year 9, Peace Lutheran College
THE Year 9 excursion to Goomboora Park for our science report was an eyeopening experience for all Peace Lutheran College students who attended.
This was stated after observing the chosen creek and the appropriate area around it. Environmental measurements were split into two components, the terrestrial conditions, (air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed/ direction) and the aquatic conditions (water temperature, pH level, dissolved oxygen, turbidity).
The Year 9 students realised that the results were different compared to the year before.
This may be due to the influence that human activity has had on Goomboora Park over the last year.
Goomboora is a dog friendly park and the presence and activity of dogs can affect the growth of plants because as dogs dig into the ground plants can be uprooted, which leads to fewer growing roots to hold the ground together.
While that may sound insignificant we were reminded of the flooding that occurred at the start of the year.
This had eroded the banks of the creek and, with no roots to hold the ground together, the embankment collapsed.
Overall, the excursion raised awareness within our grade of what impacts human activity have on the environment.
We realised that the small concerns can lead to more problematic futures if people are not made aware of their impacts on the environment.