Ecology on show at World Environment Day Festival
Michelle Gleeson
Do bugs bug you? Do weeds drive you mad? Do you have a weed you want identified? Maybe you would like to know some of the uses for our local plants?
For all the answers, a series of Practical Ecology workshops at the free World Environment Day Festival on June 28th may be just the thing for you and your family to explore the natural world together.
To be held at the University of the Sunshine Coast, the hands-on series is part of the huge festival program featuring land and water bugs, land and water weeds, Glossy Black Cockatoos and advice on native plants, all presented by local experts.
Among the topics, fire, ecology and human habitats, with Michael Reif from the Sunshine Coast Regional Council talking about fire and biodiversity and Lloyd Johnston from Emergency Management Queensland will discuss minimising the risk of fire on our human habitats.
Michelle Gleeson, also known as the Bug Lady, will show off her displays of mounted insects, live insects which can be handled, and activity bags for the bug enthusiasts. With Cerran Fawns of Maroochy Waterwatch you can explore the bugs in our waterways and find out what they can tell you about the water quality.
Hellen Haapakoski of Biosecurity Queensland will help identify the weeds that pose the greatest threats to our natural systems and to farmers, and how you can best manage them. From Noosa and District Landcare, Phil Moran’s passion is water weeds and you can bring along some weeds you want identified.
Simone O’Keefe from the Sunshine Coast Regional Council is part of the Glossy Black Cockatoo Conservancy. She has been working with schools and community to help save this magnificent bird by spotting it and planting the specific food trees.
Coast legend Stephanie Haslam will present a fascinating workshop Not Just a Pretty Face - our native plants and their many uses. This is all about our reasonably common native plants that most people would know, and how these plants have been and are being used by aboriginal people, early settlers and commercial enterprises today.
The World Environment Day Festival at the University will also feature displays from all the groups on the Sunshine Coast that care for land, water and native species. This is a great chance to make contacts and find out more about this amazing coastal landscape and its active community.
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- World Environment Day 2008
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- Cycling to the Woodford Folk Festival
- Gifts for our wildlife
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