Natural Resources Conservation League

ENVIRONMENT DISCOVERY CENTRE

NRCL has created an Environment Discovery Centre in the Landmark Warburton Waterwheel Building. Within this building a unique journey of discovery will begin showcasing different aspects of Forest Life.

An historical expedition detailing Warburton's heritage has been preserved highlighting how Warburton has evolved. Opening seven days a week for general public admission and also providing eco tours and an eco retail shopping experience.

Young Inventors Competition

NRCL are holding an annual 'Young Inventors Competition' for all those children bursting with great ideas to help our Environment. Great prizes are on offer for the best inventions and ideas! Your entry will need to be available for assessment by 1 June 2009, and will be judged by 30 June 2009. This competition is open for all primary and secondary students in Victoria. There are two categories for entry:

What do I win?

The winning entry will have their machine on display in the Warburton Waterwheel for 12 months, with their name, school name, and details of their invention on a plaque. After this time, your plaque will then be placed on the 'Wall of Honour'.

The winning project will be awarded a cash prize of $250 for the student or students involved.

Your invention will also feature on our Web Site and in our quarterly newsletter.

You will also win for you and your school a free excursion for 100 students, including bus fares, and a choice of any of our programs.

HOW TO ENTER:

Simply email your ideas to Samantha at NRCL giving a description of your invention, your name, address and contact details, and we will arrange collection or delivery of your brilliant work to the judging panel.

Arbor Week 2009

Arbor Week 2009 is currently going through some transitional changes. Watch this space for more details in our next quarterly newsletter, or check out our website for latest information.

Bush Fire Alert!

Our new home at Warburton has seen many devastating bushfires, Ash Wednesday in 1983 being the worst in modern times. Warburton lost 57 houses and an area of 40,000 hectares of State and privately owned land were affected. What should you do if there is a bushfire in your area?

Staff Profile - Anne Campbell

I came to NRCL as a sessional teacher in January 2008. I have always loved teaching children, and with a teaching background found the rainforest a fantastic 'open classroom'. The children respond to the unique plants, the stories of dinosaurs and lyrebird antics. My vision is to share my passion for protecting the forest and waterways using sustainable practices to positively influence children in the wider community.

As education officer I am using all my knowledge and skills from my science degree, work experiences and teaching. We should never stop learning.

FLORA of the Month

Bedfordia arborescens, more commonly known as Blanket Leaf is a robust tree, that generally grows to around 6 to 8m in height and flowers from November to January. Its leaves are 10 to 15 cm long and 3 to 6 cm wide. The upper side of the leaf is dark green and finely wrinkled, where as the lower surface is densely covered in fine, white, wooly hairs, hence the name Blanket Leaf.

This plant is also sometimes referred to as the Bushman's Dunny Paper! Why? Well you can probably use your imagination, however the early settlers in this country (and probably the aboriginals) used this as toilet paper. I know I would rather use this than a bit of bracken!

FAUNA of the Month

The Blotched Blue Tongue Lizard (Tiliqua nigrolutea) is the largest member of the skink family and can be found in woodlands and both wet and dry forests. They shelter at night among leaf litter or under large objects on the ground such as rocks and logs.

Blue Tongues are exothermic which means they generate their own body heat, so early in the morning blue-tongues are often seen emerging to bask in sunny areas before foraging for fruits and flowers, and the occasional cricket or snail.

Blue tongue lizards quickly become used to humans, making them great pets. Come and take a look at our resident Blue Tongues in the display centre.

Spotlight on Platypus

PLATYPUS SIGHT AND SOUND

Many people have recently placed interest in how the platypus's senses differ from our own. Truth is that there aren't many differences, and the eye and ear structure of these animals is very close to our own.

The platypus's eye is small (just 6 mm in diameter) and comes equipped with and eyelid and round pupil. The internal structure is typically mammalian in most respects, but does include some reptilian features, one of the only features making the distinctively different from us, such as the presence of double (as opposed to single) retinal cone cells, used to perceive colour. Intriguingly, while a platypus rarely if ever opens its eyes when submerges, the structure of its lens, curved on the inner surface and quite flat on the outer, is most similar to that of aquatic mammals such as the otter that rely on sight to help capture prey. The most obvious explanation is that the platypus's ancestors may have used underwater vision much more regularly then the modern animal.

In contrast, there is no evidence that platypus hearing is any way specifically adapted for use in water. Notably, no special mechanism has ever been identified for water-borne sounds to be conducted to the inner ear. Like platypus eyes, the structure of platypus ears resembles that of most other mammals while incorporating a few primitive features, such as the fact that the ear region is enclosed in cartilage rather then bone. While no one is ever likely to know what a symphony sounds like to a platypus, it has been established that the animals hearing is most sensitive to frequencies around 4 kilohertz, exactly the same as in humans.

Keep reading this section in future editions for more valuable information about the amazing Platypus.

All information provided in this section, is with complements from the Australian Platypus Conservancy. For more information feel free to contact: Australian Platypus Conservancy, PO Box 22, Wiseleigh VIC, 3885
Phone: (03) 5157 5568
Email: platypus.apc@westnet.com.au
Web: www.platypus.asn.au

A walk through the museum

Cross the bridge and wander down the Platypus Walk, where you can find out about our amazing and unique Monotremes, and see up close a Platypus burrow. Next, venture through the cave into the Day Forest where you can explore and touch some of our native animals, most that you would never get to see up close in your life time!

From there you can move through to the Night Forest where you can experience first hand the life and habitat of the night crawlers, and meet our resident turtle, Toby and his friends, the Tree Frogs, and our beautiful Blue Tongue Lizards.

Afterwards you can continue through the museum to learn about the history of Warburton and its surrounding areas and see what life was like for the aboriginals and the tool and weapons they made.

Meet our Resident Artist

Peter van Breugal is our amazing artist, that has transformed our centre from a building with 4 walls to an awe-inspiring forest adventure. Peter studied graphic design in Brisbane, has painted numerous murals for councils and town centers, and reproduces his own work as posters.

Peter has won many awards in art shows, is represented in Ipswich City Art Gallery permanent collection, and has many of his beautiful bird and rainforest paintings on display. One of Peters reproductions of 'Australian Music Legends', has been produced in partnership with Billy Thorpe in "The Long Way to the Top" concerts, and is sold world wide. His famous Beatles paintings have also sold in huge numbers in Australia and overseas.

Peter moved to Warburton in 2000, and has become a big name in the local community with his great talent. A very versatile artist, and one we have been lucky enough to have on our team to make the Environment Discovery Centre a true work of art.