Our blooming biodiversity

Have you seen our beautiful biodiversity garden lately? A bunch of wonderful green team parents and volunteers have been busy installing signage, insect hotels and upgraded poles to further tempt our native birds.

The garden is located outside the front of the school, and the aim of the space is to to develop a supporting habitat for our local bird species.

Did you know:

• Over one third of Victoria's bird species, as well as Australian and international migratory birds, visit or reside in our school's Elster Creek coastal zone.
• Elster Creek (from the coast inland 2 km) is home to a diversity of species, with nearly 1000 fauna recorded by volunteer naturalist Gio Fitzpatrick since 2012.
• The lower Creek and foreshore are visited by migratory birds including international species.

The biodiversity garden received its initial generous funding support from Landcare Australia and Momentum Energy's Powerful Youth Projects initiative. The project was then further generously supported through the Victorian Government's Port Phillip Bay Fund via our STEAM Clean the Bay project.

Our 5/6s recently conducted a biodiversity audit on the school. In 2013, our biodiversity score was 41. A further audit was conducted in Term 2, 2018 following our rain garden installation and came in at 66. Today our biodiversity score is an impressive...(drum roll)...92!

The new biodiversity garden with its bird bath, insect hotels, native plants, rocks and logs and 100% mulch helped with the increase in score as did the many other eco activities we have been busy completing around the school.

A big round of applause and thank you to everyone involved.