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Message from SA Convenor
Hello everyone,
In this newsletter:- AGM Notice, Free PD next week with AAEE NSW. Read on to find out more about a fellow AAEE SA member. As the year draws to a close, we reflect on the success of BBB (Bringing Back the Butterflies), despite COVID we managed 20 workshops and presentations!
This is the link to the AAEE National Facebook page. Please contact us if you are interested in starting a FB page for AAEE SA Chapter.
Yours in Sustainability,
Dr. Debra Bradley, Convenor | AAEE-SA Chapter
P.S. Also this week, we celebrate National Bird Week 19-25 October by taking part in the biggest citizen science project to hit Aussie shores. You can join as an individual, family or school! Click here to join in the Aussie Backyard Bird Count |
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Notice of AGM
The AGM for AAEE SA will be held at 3pm on Saturday 28th November at Arbury Park School. The afternoon will begin with a propagation workshop and end with a celebration for AAEE's 40th Anniversary. All AAEE SA members are welcome. For more information or if you would like to attend, please email aaeesachapter@gmail.com or contact a member of the committee.
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FREE PD next week
~ Wellbeing and sustainability
~ Outdoor education and kitchen gardens
~ Sustainability planning and Sustainable Schools Grants
~Waste, composting and recycling
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From Mon 26 Oct to Thurs 29 Oct AAEE NSW be running the free Sustainable Schools NSW Online Conference!
From 3:30pm - 5pm (SA time 3-4:30pm) each afternoon they are holding online sessions (on a different topic area each day) to help you on your sustainable schools journey. Find out more at this link:
https://www.aaeensw.org.au/events/sustainable-schools-nsw-online-conference
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BBB update
Debra Bradley, Deidre Knight and Steve Fuller
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Objective
Important biodiversity project to help save the coastal bitterbush plant (Adriana quadripartita) and its dependent butterfly, the Bitterbush Blue (Theclinesthes albocincta). The plant and butterfly have been the subject of research which has noted their serious decline. Due to urban infill, encroachment on dunes, industrial development and community ignorance of the detrimental effects of human activity, this butterfly is now rarely seen in our dunes and Adelaide's coastal suburbs.
This project redresses this by conducting a series of workshops in coastal community gardens, centres and schools. Workshops include learning about local ecology and how to propagate the Bitterbush for re-establishment in front gardens, verges, council land, schools, surf lifesaving clubs, industrial and commercial sites and dunes. When the plants are ready we will then show these communities how to plant and care for the Bitterbush then watch and record the return of this butterfly. All plantings will be accompanied with our customised interpretive signage about the Bitterbush Blue Butterfly. All planting sites will be located on our soon to be launched website and become part of our wider BBB walking trails.
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Project Overview
BBB's Bitterbush grant - 6 propagation workshops engaging 100+ people. 350+ plants now being planted in approx 100 schools, clubs, council reserves and residences as an ongoing citizen science project. All sites are registered in a database. The progress of the plants will be monitored, seeds and cuttings taken to expand the population and observations made of butterfly activity. Covid, low yield with propagating, and subsequent acquirement of Bitterbush plants has delayed the start of the project, however, the Federal Govt has been more than understanding, particularly regarding Covid, therefore the initial final date of the project has been extended to July 2021. Nevertheless, the project has progressed significantly and it is anticipated that it will be finalised much earlier than the July 2021 date.
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Member Profile: David Doherty
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AAEE member and SA Chapter Committee Member since 1997
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What do you do?
My day job is Principal of Arbury Park Outdoor School, the Education Department’s residential outdoor learning campsite near Bridgewater in the Adelaide Hills. We welcome approximately 4,500 students and 350 teachers each year with our school taglines: Making connections with our environment. Living and learning together.
It’s a privilege to lead a school like ours with a great crew of teachers and ancillary staff, all committed to inspiring a love of the outdoors and a love of learning.
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What are you passionate about?
I get excited when I see the ‘lights go on’ for kids and adults alike. Like when they experience something for the first time and a new window to their world opens. It could be the first time they’ve built and lit a fire to cook on, come face to face with a water scorpion, laughed at a koala walking on the ground, looked down a microscope, or designed a shelter in the bush to keep themselves dry in the rain. The first time they’ve stood on top of a mountain when they didn’t think they would ever make it. So many experiences that we might take for granted but are increasingly not common for many young people.
So I’m passionate about our young people connecting, or re-connecting with their world, what we sometimes call their natural world. The natural world teaches us, it calms us, it nourishes us.
And I believe strongly that they are all OUR children. We have a collective responsibility to help them be the best they can be. Schools play such a pivotal role for some families in providing nature connection experiences. Some of my most satisfying memories as an educator have come from the gratitude shown by the students who don’t have exposure to natural places. They are touched by their time in a community that cares about each other and our relationship with our Earth.
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Why is AAEE important to you?
Since 1980 the Australian Association for Environmental Education has felt like the peak body for environmental educators / sustainability educators. (Coincidentally, it was officially born as an association at a national conference at Arbury Park Outdoor School, here in SA.) It remains a ‘broad church’ with members from formal education sectors and the wider community of people who share a vision for a sustainable future. The association’s track record and long history give it stability and credibility that can be wielded to help wave the flag of education for sustainability.
On a personal level my involvement with AAEE has helped me build a professional network and also a network of friends. It’s the professional equivalent of taking a swig of a high energy sports drink. Talking with like-minded folks and sharing practical ideas for my work is energising. It reminds me that there are extraordinary people, right here in our state who are up for the fight. I have deep respect for their skills, creativity and tenacity and I think it’s important that I contribute in whatever way I have capacity for.
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Educational Resource: Australian Indigenous/Nature Symbols
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Northern Australia Environmental Research Portal are sharing their FREE collection of 100+ northern Australia symbols, including Indigenous symbols and native Australian wildlife. Head here to download ➡️ https://bit.ly/32MsGTu
"We can’t predict what happens next, but we can plan for a sustainable future to support communities and natural and cultural environments through science and knowledge." Thanks Northern Australia Environmental Resources Hub for sharing! Click here to like their Facebook page.
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Join AAEE
We are asking members to forward this newsletter to a few colleagues who are also passionate about Education for Sustainability (EfS). Here are just a few reasons why you should join AAEE. Click here to join now! Click here for more information on member benefits and pricing.
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Message from SA Convenor
