Students Add Value To Wetland Education

Central Coast Herald

Friday June 13, 2003

THEY have been called the "lungs of Tuggerah Lakes", a massive natural filter system that stops the flow of sediment and rubbish to the lakes system.

Yesterday, the health of Porters Creek Wetland, near Wyong, was boosted with the provision of an educational resource kit aimed at the region's primary and secondary students.

The five-square-kilometre patch is the Coast's largest freshwater wetland.

It provides habitat for at least 100 fish, frog, reptile, bird and mammal species as well as nine species of paperbark tree and numerous endangered plants and animals.

The ``Wetland Web" interactive CD-ROM educational kit was a collaborative effort by Wyong Shire Council and Wyong High School students.

Wyong Mayor Greg Best launched the CD-ROM yesterday, describing it as ``a fabulous resource".

``It will not only help to educate young people about our environment but will also link in with the school curriculum, particularly the subject areas of science, geography and social sciences," he said.

The CD-ROM contains aerial photographs and maps and information about endangered flora and fauna.

It provides a history of the catchment, how to care for it, an analysis of ecosystems, the water cycle and causes of pollution.

It features teaching units, student work sheets and asks students to solve environmental tasks such as building a wetland and designing environmentally friendly houses and suburbs.