Woodland Week 2016: Sat 29 Oct – 12 Nov

A series of activities focussing on grassy woodlands and the plants and animals that live in them. We’re proposing five activities:

• Scanning with spotlights: nocturnal ecology at Thalgarrah field studies centre;
• Behold the bugs: invertebrate surveys of local woodlands;
• Arthropod art: insect drawing workshop for kids with local biological illustrator;
• Breakfast with the birds: A morning with ornithologists at local woodlands;
• Walk amongst the wildflowers: surveys of woodland blooms with ecologists & artists.

These activities will encourage the community to work with scientists and artists to look closely at grassy woodlands, the most common ecosystem in the New England bioregion. The activities listed above are aimed at whole families, giving multiple generations an opportunity to work with scientists in the field to see first hand the plants and animals and the interactions that make up the woodland ecosystems.

The “Woodland Week” activities will lead up to the 6^th Black Gully Music Festival (BGMF), a community festival that celebrates the local environment and the organisations and people who care for it. This years’ festival will feature four eco-artists, giving a different interpretation of the local environment.