Summer Stream Studies
Term 1 has seen plenty of students getting out of the classroom and into a nearby river or stream to learn about healthy waterways.
Students from the Home School Co-operative Learners group investigated Pukatea Stream as part of a day out at White’s Bay. They were impressed with the amount of life in the stream, especially the large banded kōkopu found in a shady pool. They got to see the kōkopu’s jumping ability first hand as it leapt from the container and wriggled back to its watery home. Tamariki were concerned that they didn’t find any kōura – the group has found lots of them in this stream in the past. Maybe they were just hiding, or maybe something else is going on.
Queen Charlotte College biology students devised their own sampling criteria to investigate the impact of urbanisation on Waitohi Stream, which flows from native bush headwaters through the Picton urban area before reaching the sea. They observed huge differences in water quality and river life at three locations along the stream, and are now writing up their results for an internal assessment.
Students from Richmond View School and Marlborough Girls’ College investigated the Taylor River, finding it in remarkably good health thanks to the constant cool water coming from springs in the Burleigh/Yelverton/Springlands areas, and the lush growth of aquatic plants that shade the river bed, bind fine sediments and provide habitat for aquatic critters and fish. They did find (and remove) quite a bit of rubbish though: an issue that Richmond View students are now tackling through technology projects.
MGC students at the Taylor River.