I have just returned from leave and have been following the discussion
on Tourism and Education with interest,and after talking to Chris
Dahlberg on the weekend, thought that what we do here may be of interest
to Jill and others.Firstly what Phil Gregory[Thanks Phil] wrote is spot
on in regards to our industry,the network that exists between the
Birdwatching Lodges, Tour Operators,Bird Guides and Birdwatchers is
something that cannot be produced by Marketing, it is created by a very
special group of people with common interests that are willing to share
their knowledge without pecuniary gain. About education and children
,two and a half years ago, with the approval of our local
school,Julatten State Primary we started a program for the pupils,day
visits and talks for the Pre Schoolers,and an environmental camp for the
pupils of years, 1,2,3,ages 6,7,8, the parents supplied tents and
erected them for the children to camp overnight,last November we had 38
children stay overnight ,plus three teachers and three parents.The
teachers arranged the supply of food and volunteer parents prepared the
meals.
During the one and half days camp we have some of those special group of
people that I mentioned before, come to the camp to give the children
talks and demonstrations about the enviroment and Birdwatching. Last
years program consisted of collecting creatures from the creek ,leaf and
seed collecting,birdwatching,bird identification,how to use a Bird book
,a childrens twitchathon,night walk,slide show,talks by National Park
Rangers on snakes and crocodiles and the part they play in the
enviroment, plus touch and feel objects. As well as the N.P. Rangers a
local Ornithologist and a Botanist
stayed at the camp to talk to the children about their work and the part
that birds and trees played in the eco system, then they showed them
how to identify the products they had collected,we were very lucky last
year as the Mossman High School loaned us four microscopes and equipment
for the children to use to identify what they had collected.The conduct
of the children at all times was excellent and I believe this was due to
the fact that they were interested in everything they did. When the
children returned to school they all wrote about what they had done at
the camp and to see their work and drawings and to hear the posititive
feedback from the parents and teachers then you realize that the effort
is not in vain. We are having discussions with Peter Tong the principal
of Mt Molloy State School who also wants to plan a camp this year for
the school. Peter is a new person to the area and realized what a great
place it was to get the children started on a hands on approach to what
nature has to offer. Tourism is a lot of froff and bubbles, marketing
and money and unless we make every effort to pass on to the very young
the knowledge, principles and objectives of what is around them, then we
will have failed and just become part of the money making plastic
scenery.
Ron Stannard.
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