Peregian Beach Bushfire Site
Scarred remains of Paperbark trees in the hot zone of the 2019 fires
David Low Way Peregian Beach
Thanks to Federal Government Bushfire Recovery - Wildlife & Habitat funding, the Noosa EE Hub is able to restore a large section of the Council reserve land on David Low Way, Peregian Beach. The area has long been looked after by Rochelle Gooch and the small team of bush carers from the Peregian Beach Community Association who are our partners on the delivery of this school based education and recovery project.
Students from Good Shepherd Lutheran College and St Teresa’s Catholic College have been exploring and assisting the recovery of this bushfire effected area. They have had the benefit of the knowledge and experience of Aunty Bev Hand — Kabi Kabi Traditional Custodian — and Kerry Jones on the ecosystems affected and the fire practices traditionally used in these areas.
The Bushfires in the Biosphere project is proudly developed by the Noosa Environmental Education Hub.
Restoration Monitoring
Good Shepherd Lutheran College Humanities students undertaking transect studies.
As of 2021, students from across various schools have been busy learning about the ecosystems and undertaking transect studies on further sections of the site. The site has also been prepared for planting which students will undertake over the course of the coming weeks.
Term 3 (2021) was a busy term of school activities, students from Good Shepherd undertook transect studies of the area. Coolum High School students went on walks on country with Aunty Bev Hand and learnt more about the plants that make up the Emu Mountain area. They also listened to Cr Brian Stockwell talk about how these ecosystems react to bushfires, the impacts of climate change on the region, and what we can do to support and restore these systems. They were also given an introduction to nature journalling as a means of exploring our natural world. Feedback has been very positive with teachers commenting that their students were fully engaged and are now more observant of their natural surroundings, we look forward to working further with both schools.
Students from Coolum High Grade 8 Humanities learning the basics of Nature Journalling with expert Dion Dior
2022 Site Update
Throughout March, St Andrew’s Secondary school students undertook the Bushfire Project in their Humanities subject. This featured an introductory presentation from Noosa EE Hub Dalia Mikhail (pictured front right) at the school before the students were physically invited to the site in Peregian Beach. From here, the students had the opportunity to be taught traditional knowledge about the ecosystems at the site by Aunty Bev Hand (pictured back second from left) and the impact the bushfires had in this area. Rochelle Gooch (pictured back second from right) discussed how the bushfires affected our community, how the ecosystems have changed over the past twenty years and the importance of maintaining our environment as the site was found to be more resilient in the face of the bushfires. James Anderson (back right) taught the students in detail about native plants and invasive species. The students then got to identify these plants, remove invasive weeds, and plant native species.
