Full day program for 1 class
Curriculum Focus: IA2 field work data collection
Curriculum Links: QCAA Geography General Senior Syllabus 2019 & 2025 version 1.1
Aim
For students to undertake field work to investigate the impact and management of the environmental issues of weeds, erosion and urbanisation at different sites within the Bunyaville Conservation Park. Students are provided with a number of hands-on opportunities to collect primary data, including the use of geospatial technologies such as ArcGIS QuickCapture and Survey123, to determine the environmental impact of a local land cover transformation and to propose how this challenge can be managed.
Overview of day
Students begin the day with an overview of Bunyaville Conservation Park’s history, priorities, and issues that impact the Park. Students then do two sessions throughout the day:
Session 1: Comparison of an undisturbed site (forest) and a disturbed site (powerlines). Students investigate each site collecting abiotic and biotic data in each quadrat along a transect line running from the ridgeline to the creek. Students use workbooks and ArcGIS technologies to collect their information.
Session 2: Students walk to the dam to collect and map data about erosion, the impacts of human activity and current management practices in the Park. Soil samples are taken in both a highly eroded (mountain bike track) and not eroded (forest) site. Students then analyse the soil from these sites by undertaking soil tests (including soil stability, pH, soil profile) back at the Centre.