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Photo by Donna Lee

11 Geography: Te Waihora Lake Ellesmere

Donna Lee —

Gumboots galore!!  At the beginning of Term two, it was time to venture out on a 'whirlwind' tour of the Selwyn district to grasp the contemporary geographic issue of dairy farm intensification on the Canterbury Plains.

The Year 11 geography students had a great day out collecting primary data for their internal assessments on the sustainable use of an environment/geographic issue.

Highlights of the trip included a visit to the Lincoln University research dairy farm - various specialist experts spoke with the students; including a soil scientist, the dairy farm manager and a representative from the South Island Dairy Development Corporation. 

Students then appreciated the full sensory experience at the dairy farm of Mr. Phillp Musson, located at Springston South. He conducted a farm tour and discussed his award-winning initiatives developing more sustainable farming practices such as riparian planting and building a state of the art wintering barn.

 Next, it was on to check out the state of the water, including the Selwyn River at Coes Ford, Te Waihora Lake Ellesmere at Lakeside and Harts Creek. The Water Watch team helped students conduct scientific research on the water quality levels.

We then visited Fisherman's Point and Taumutu to discover some of the early histories of the lake and particularly, the cultural significance to Maori. Students also learned how Te Waihora Lake Ellesmere is currently managed.

Lastly, we visited the dairy farm of Mr. John Sunckell at Brookside Irwell. He discussed his farming practices and his role with Environment Canterbury.

Thanks to everyone involved for making this inaugural trip such a success. This will definitely be a permanent fixture on our field trip repertoire!!  Needless to say, the Year 11 Geography students' have produced some amazing work and are highly passionate about environmental sustainability.