Otaika Valley School did the Whitebait Connection in Term One, 2011 with coordinator Kim Jones. The term kicked off with a bang when Kim Jones visited the school to deliver WBC intros with Stephanie Bowman - visiting educator/artist from America on a quest to raise awareness about Longfin Eels through her children's book 'Velvet and Elvis".
The whole school investigated their local catchment and to their delight, found that it had a very interesting history, is really healthy and is home to a thriving population of Inanga and some Longfin Eels (Longfin Eels are as threatened as the Spotted Kiwi)! They also found Freshwater Crayfish, Mayflies and Stoneflies to name a few. Awesome water quality here is helped by the large area of forested land reserve in the Otaika Valley which also hosts some awesome walkways. '
Here's their stram study results. Now they're studying sanctuaries and planning on planting out their wetlands.
Check out some photos below of their learning journey!
