Kyneton Secondary College is a winner in the Victorian schools sustainability awards for its work to help protect the brush-tailed phascogale.
The school was last week honoured with the title of Biodiversity Secondary School of the Year in this year’s ResourceSmart Schools Awards.
Kyneton Secondary’s year 11 biology classes have been working with the Macedon Ranges council environmental staff and local landcare groups to gather data to help protect the brush-tailed phascogale in the Macedon Ranges.
The students have been conducting field studies on insect populations at Bald Hill Reserve, near Kyneton, using traps they designed and built. The collected data will help scientists to identify how the availability of certain insects has impacted the presence of the marsupial.
Teacher and project developer Anwyn Chapman said the school was proud of the award.
“Winning has been a wonderful recognition of the valuable contribution the classes’ results have made to the research,” she said.
The sustainability group at Kyneton Secondary College has also been working to regenerate flora around Campaspe River.
In the past year, the students have planted more than 1500 native trees along the riverbank.
