School teachers and the public will be given the chance to learn about the health of their waterways thanks to Horizons Regional Council’s Waiora stream education programme.
Horizons will be running Waiora family events at Feilding’s Timona Park on the Ōroua River on Thursday 26 January and the Whanganui River at Cherry Grove Domain in Taumarunui on Thursday 9 February.
Council community engagement advisor, Christina Haynes says people will be able to see and learn the signs of healthy waterways by having the opportunity to undertake water quality testing.
“The tests include looking at the clarity of water and what is living in waterways.
People can also share any questions or concerns they may have about local waterway quality,” she said.
“It’s an opportunity for people to come along, engage with us and have a look at what is in the river.”
Council will also hold Waiora stream study events for teachers on those days, helping them unpack a teacher resource on the science of water quality testing and learn how to use the equipment which schools can borrow to conduct their own stream studies.
Senior environmental educator, Sarah Williams says the workshops will support teachers, especially those without a strong science background, to become more confident in running activities for themselves.
“They will get hands-on experience with and explanation of testing tools, giving them skills they can use to teach their students about the environment,” Mrs Williams said.
“Teachers are also able to borrow a range of environmental education kits from Horizons, which help students to connect with the natural world in more accessible ways.”
Both events will run from 12.30pm until 2.30pm.
