News Article | Grovetown Lagoon Restoration Project

Education Activity Kit for Marlborough Schools

Published on Nov 26, 2013

Chairmans Comments

The Education Activity Kit for schools focussed on Grovetown Lagoon is complete and able to be used by any school in the area. The Department of Conservation has made a wonderful job of this very practical and easy to use kit for teachers.

The theme for activities is Transitions. This theme has been chosen as many of the ecological processes occurring in the lagoon area are a transition of plant communities from one state to another. The theme includes the following subjects for the students:

Succession – the transition from bare land to pioneer species to mature forest (the students plant trees as part of this theme). We see this clearly at Grovetown Lagoon. Primary species (e.g. manuka, kanuka, red matipo, karamu, kohuhu and lemonwood, transition to secondary colonizers (e.g. mahoe, ribbonwood, lancewood and mapou) and then emergent species (rimu, totara, pukatea, matai and kahikatea).
Competition – looking at competition between native plants and invasive plants, the effects of this and the outcomes of our intervention.
Changes in land use – the history of the area including the formation of the oxbow loop that is now the Lagoon, traditional Maori use of the area, invasion of weeds and the degradation of the ecosystem, and the current restoration of the natural values of the area.

The Grovetown Lagoon Education Kit is designed to be used by primary and high school teachers and students, either with or without a representative from the Department of Conservation. Lots of background information is provided, and activities based on the themes for this kit are explained. Some activities are appropriate for all ages, others are more appropriate for a particular age group. Included in the kit is all the equipment needed to carry out all the activities. The Grovetown Lagoon Education Kit is available from the Department of Conservation, South Marlborough Office. Phone Shelly Sidley on 572-9100.

DID YOU KNOW: Many wetland plants have very specific environmental needs and are extremely vulnerable to change. A number of New Zealand’s endangered plant species depend totally on wetlands.

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