Rowi Project Blog

Our Untouched World experience has come to an end. On the final day the students put together presentations in groups drawing on what they had learnt from their week with us and presented them to the rowi team, the teachers and the public. There was a great turn out from the Okarito community.  Most of us were not only impressed, but inspired by the thoughts and effect that the Untouched World project seemed to have on the students and how it had motivated them to, in turn, motivate their peers at home and at their schools.

I think it has been invaluable for the students to step outside the classroom environment and experience conservation management first-hand. The beauty of this area had a real impact on the students and helped them to see how we are all connected to our environment – something that is not always easy to remember in more urban areas. Okarito was definitely a great place for the students to be based, as it is such a good example of a community that cares about their environment and are very conscious of the impact their lifestyles have on their surroundings. Everyone was touched by the welcoming nature of the locals who kindly put on a BBQ for us all on the final day.

One such local was Ian Cooper who runs a business from Okarito doing kiwi tours. Ian spoke to the students about his business, showing them how a living can be made locally and in a sustainable way. Executive Director of BNZ Save the Kiwi Trust, Michelle Impey, also spoke to the students about the positive impact you can make in any work situation – how you can work for large companies and still promote conservation and sustainability.  This message was really important, as it showed the students that sustainability is about everything we do and should be integral to every job we do.

Photo by: Michelle Impey

Photo by: Petr Hlavacek

Another highlight of the week for me was taking a group of students to do an egg rescue on a bird called CeeCee, We were stoked to be able to show the students a kiwi egg!  The students had heaps of questions about what we had just done and that was great, I loved to see them so excited about something that I get so excited about.

Then we showed the students how we process the egg, weighing it, washing it, and candling it to determine its age. It is quite amazing to candle an egg and see the embryo and the beautiful vein network.

It’s been an amazing week for all who were involved and I hope to be involved in the future.  I would love to see how this has impacted the students in the long-term and how they manage to take their impressions and experiences back to their communities in a constructive way. Watch this space…

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 15th, 2009 at 2:00 pm by Rowi Ranger and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.