YEAR 9 COMMUNITY ACTION

NORTHERN PACIFIC SEASTAR CLEANUP - WILLIAMSTOWN

The Northern Pacific Seastar is considered a serious pest in Australian waters because of its impact on native marine ecosystems. It is a voracious predator that eats a wide range of native animals and it has no known predators in the bay.  The year 9 Community Action: Environment and Sustainability group got their feet wet on Friday 17th February to conduct a clean up session with Marine Biologist Garret Drago at Williamstown.

It is believed the Northern Pacific Seastar entered Port Phillip Bay through ship ballast water from Japan. First sighted in Port Phillip Bay in 1995 around Point Cook, the Northern Pacific Seastar is now prevalent throughout the bay, especially around Williamstown.

A permit is required to remove it from the water. This is to ensure people are collecting the correct species. Students learnt how to identify the species and removed 124 from the water.  It can not be cut up and left in the water as new seastars can regenerate from a single arm. This means if one  seastar is cut into pieces  - five new seastars can grow! The seastars we collected were disposed of humanely by the Marine Biologist, Garrett.

Michelle Sanders - Sustainability co-ordinator

YEAR 9 COMMUNITY ACTION: CIVICS

Year 9 Community Action - Civics has commenced with one class at City Experience and the other Community Service at a variety of aged care services and agencies for people with intellectual and physical challenges.  Students have participated in activities such as the Community Day tour, SCOPE/Red Cross workshops and the Skate Mentoring (Disability) Program so they can begin to make connections with their local and wider communities. This year the students in one class alone raised over $400 for the Thao Dan Children’s Scholarship Fund in Northern Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The bulk of this was generated over the Christmas holidays by Dean Gould who organised a sponsored bike ride and Oliver Frain who sold baked goods to neighbours. For every $100 they raised, one child from the orphanage will be sent to school for a year. One Civics student commented that “Learning about helping others and becoming involved in our community is what the Community Action course is based around but getting out and actually raising money for a good cause is really satisfying.” Students this year will continue the fundraising by asking for donations during the Community Service Announcement of our SYN (90.7FM) radio show on Friday mornings during City Experience throughout the year. Next term Community Action students will present the results of their Local Investigations to the Mayor of Maribyrnong at the town hall, where they will receive their SCOPE ‘See the Person’ Disability Engagement Certificate for their Term 1 Community Service.

Stephen Croci - Community Action teacher