We had a wonderful afternoon with Hunter Valley Grammar School’s Earth & Environment Science students & their teachers.

We started off in Canowindra at the Age of Fishes Museum & a surprise visit from a 2 week old poddy lamb which was very cute.

After a round of cuddles Andrew Wooldridge from the Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water gave the students a run down of the area’s fascinating and diverse geology using the NSW Governments MinView website.

We then drove to the lookout and from this high point Andrew utilised the 360 degree vista to facilitate an active discussion around how successive geological shifts have shaped both the landscape and successive generations of humans who have interact with it. Canowindra is ideally situated for discussions like this, being within view of Mount Canobolas in Orange, the the granite country surrounding the villages of Woodstock & Wyangala, the canola covered alluvial flats of Cowra and the National Parks of Conimbla and Nangar.

We had time for two more stops on our tour, in between which we discussed Landcare as an organisation and the specific work we do for the Mid Lachlan Community. Our team have projects that cover salinity monitoring and management decision making, erosion control, ecological restoration & ecologically informed farming practices. We were able to demonstrate much of that at a local farm and in particular showcase the role trees play in maintaining the health & vitality of a modern dryland agricultural business.

Finally, we chatted about the soil microbiology project we’d completed last year and how that was playing out & shaping decision making across our community. We were delighted to hear the school had decided to run their own microBIOMETER trials as part of the International Baccalaureate study program commencing shortly. We look forward to hearing how that goes and comparing notes next year!