On Wednesday the 18th of August Year 11 and 12 IB biology and chemistry courses took part in a combined trip to Carroll Creek which is located in a valley of Frenchs Forest. The idea of the trip was to make an ecological survey of the area taking in such aspects as flora, fauna and chemical aspects such as soil pH and water pH.
The classes were met at the entrance to the national park by a local expert named Don. He led us down into the area giving us an insightful overview of the location, and giving us an outline of the day ahead.
The classes were split into four different groups, each group being given a day pack full of equipment that we would need for the tasks set for the day. The back packs contained items ranging from soil and water pH kits to foliage cover measures and quadrant sets. We then proceeded into the bush along the way being shown how to set up different and use different parts of our day kits before being left to our own devices to do an ecological survey of our own groups separate quadrant to give us a better idea of what we could find in the area.
Each group carried out its own area survey, surveying soil pH, foliage cover, the different specimens, amount and height of trees in each area and a soil moisture measure. We were then shown how to properly record the data before we moved on to the second site of the day which was located on the edge of the creek. Here the groups carried out the same tests as at the previous site, before carrying out some different tests to identify the quality of the water. The guide then continued to speak about the area and its local wildlife as he showed us some animals he had laid traps for the day before. The animals that he had managed to catch were two native Australian bush rats. Concluding the day, the groups walked back to the top of the valley before travelling back to school, and the Biology classes of Year 11 and 12 shall be writing a prac about the trip in the following weeks.
