Learning To Care For Our Waterways

The Marlborough District Council has built up a strong environmental education programme that slots into the school curriculum and helps teach our children about taking care of the Marlborough environment.

A good example is the Whitebait Connection Programme where the Council works in partnership with the Department of Conservation to teach students about the importance of our waterways. This is one of six regions in the country where children are getting the chance to take part in this particular environmental programme.

The children discover how to assess the health of the waterways, learning about the importance of keeping our rivers and streams clean and free of pollutants.

The downtown Taylor River is often the scene of study trips but recently a group from Witherlea School used a trip to Pine Valley to get a close look at the river life.

Witherlea pupils Esmee Davies and Niki Elliot were amongst the Room 13 pupils looking at such things as water flow, water clarity and temperature and food webs.

Find more information about Council’s environmental education on the Council website www.marlborough.govt.nz under Environment.