As a component of the Year 11 Biology course, students have been on camp this week, staying at the Perth Hills Discovery Centre in Beelu National Park. The girls took part in field work activities and saw conservation programs in action.

Students completed a biological survey using quadrats* and transect* of the Beelu National Park, focussing on the Jarrah and Marri ecosystem. The girls set traps to measure the fauna of the area. During this exercise they caught a Mardo, a small native marsupial mouse and a previously uncaught possum. The possum had to be added to the Department of Parks and Wildlife’s database, the girls got to see how a scientist tags and microchips the animal.

Finally the girls enjoyed an animal encounter and talk about raptors and other birds of prey, finishing their camp at Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Conservation Centre, where they learnt about Black Cockatoo biology and conservation.

*A quadrat is a way of studying a large area, using a square. A transect is a path along which one counts and records occurrences of organisms.