Coast Guardians Term 3 Wrap-Up with Mel

25 October 2023

By Melanie Costanzo | Education Activity Coordinator

It’s been another busy Term for Coast Guardians, with over 160 students taking part from Geelong Lutheran College, Iona College and Surf Coast Secondary College. Sessions covered a range of topics and activities including cultural heritage, human impacts, stewardship, erosion, dune ecology, biodiversity and conservation and natural resource management practices.

It was fun trialling a new classification session with the Year 7’s from Geelong Lutherans Colleges. Fair to say they were surprised to learn seaweeds are not actually plants (they belong to the Kingdom Protista for those playing at home). Students also did a great job classifying a range of common coastal molluscs into their classes and defining their shared and varied features. 

Almost 40 hours of Conservation work was also completed by our Coast Guardians, focusing namely on Coastal Tea-Tree removal at Whites Gap. This invasive species outgrows our indigenous species, negatively impacting biodiversity. Through the removal of this woody weed, and use of cut branches to brush mat false tracks and blow-outs, students contributed valuable efforts to reduce erosion and increase biodiversity at this valued coastal location.

To find out how to get involved in our Coast Guardians program, please email education@greatoceanroadauthority.vic.gov.au or use the following link Coast Guardians Program.