Kangaroo Island Community Education

In week 4 the Stage 2 Earth and Environmental Science students attended a camp to the Oaklands wetlands. This man-made wetland in the Marion council area was created to collect and process stormwater. This stormwater contains harmful chemicals and has a high hardness meaning if left it was negatively impacting our other waterways and would eventually affect the Biosphere in our oceans. Students participated in a full-day Environmental Health workshop in collaboration with

Flinders University. This included theory work in the wetland’s classroom, and practical work in the field collecting and testing water samples from the wetland’s three different ponds using the electronic measuring probe. They then took their water samples to the on-site laboratory to use the spectrometer to measure phosphorus, turbidity, and nitrate. Students have used this information to complete their first summative assessment task, a practical report.

The students thoroughly enjoyed going to Adelaide where they also got to have sushi for dinner, go bowling and compete in an intense round of laser tag. This was a wonderful opportunity that allowed our year 12s to engage with Flinders University Ph.D. students and use the state-of-the-art facilities and equipment.