Riparian Recovery with Kandos High School
Laura Fisher (Research Officer), Tam Connor (Education Coordinator) and Penny Cooper (Trainee Director of On-ground Works) recently ran a jam-packed excursion for Years 9 and 10 at Kandos High School. The location was Franks’ Breakaway, a regenerative farm and farmstay on the western edge of the Wollemi National Park, 20 minutes from the townships of Kandos and Rylstone. The Cudgegong River, beloved by all those who visit the spectacular Ganguddy/Dunns Swamp campground, runs between magnificent sandstone pagoda gorges before meandering through Franks’ Breakaway. It was affected by ferocious floodwaters earlier in the year: uprooted trees floated over the farm’s floodplain and dead fish remained in some of the paddocks once the floodwaters receded. The water’s erosive force has dramatically changed the river, partly because it deposited large tracts of sand mobilised easily by the floods because of the Wollemi bushfires of 2019.
Cheryl and Michael Neilson had ordered 100 native trees to improve their Riparian Zones and stabilise the riverbanks. At the same time, Laura had been in contact with teachers at Kandos High School about our Citizen Science project. A fabulous opportunity presented itself to stage a ‘Riparian Recovery’ workshop. Teachers Leanne Besant and Shannon Pennell made it happen and Wirajduri Elder Peter Swain was also able to join us.
First the 40 students engaged with the healthier riparian zone of the Cudgegong River in the bush, observing the biodiversity over the three layers: canopy, under-story and groundcover. We discussed the web of life that makes a healthy river ecosystem and then walked to a section of the farm where the river’s erosion was dramatic. Here we analysed a degraded riparian zone and the first signs of recovery and stabilisation. Next, the students tackled the task of planting 90 trees with fantastic enthusiasm. Penny provided a thorough demonstration and the students keenly followed each step to give the plants their best chance of survival.
Back at the campfire the paintbrushes were primed with colour and the artmaking began. Students were invited to paint small hexagon tiles with features of the landscape and river ecology. Collectively the tiles came together to form a to-scale map of the section of the Cudgegong River we’d been custodians of that day. The students embraced the challenge and produced many striking tiles, as did the teachers, farmers and other artists. This allowed us to create another iteration of the hex tile puzzle – one of the educational tools being developed as part of our Citizen Science project. This depiction of the Cudgegong River will keep growing as we invite other people in the region to contribute, and it will be installed at our upcoming exhibition Waterland at WayOut Artspace in Kandos. It will be a special moment when the students visit the exhibition to rediscover what they created!
We'd like to thank Leanne and Shannon at Kandos High School for making this workshop happen as a Geography, Art and Creating Links to Industry Pathways (CLIP) excursion. Also big thanks to Peter Swain and artists Georgie Pollard and Bridget Baskerville for their valuable contributions, Alex Wisser for great photography and the Neilson’s for being brave enough to host us!
This workshop was supported by the NSW Environmental Trust. It also formed part of the project ‘Modelling Landscape Rehydration for Catchments, Communities and Curriculum’, which has received Citizen Science grant funding from the Australian Government.
Photos: Alex Wisser.
