From: James.Bannan@f369.n633.z3.fidonet.org (James Bannan)
Newsgroups: k12.chat.teacher
Subject: Global Environment Watch
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 92 01:02:18 PDT
Organization: FidoNet node 3:633/369 - City Limits BBS, Boronia Vic

Gordon,  how are things on the Island.  How many people live on Prince Edward Island?  Do you actually live on the Island?
Your messages seem to take about a week to get to Australia although sometimes I have turn-arounds of messages in a week, three days each way.  It depends sometimes on how the messages are shufflesd around the world.  Do you see the other messages of people writing on the GEW.  I have trying to build it up and there has been good interest around the world.  Do you have access to the Channel areas in the K-12 network?  I am thinking that it may be nearing the time to apply for our own project area.  I am do


ing this because I like looking at the world around me.  I read an article about a lecturer recently who reflected my thoughts.  She knew well the theory but had not come to imagine that out in the real world was the real zoology, not in her text books.  The environmetn is under the leaf litter or the soil or the rocks around us.  It is in cracks in city buildings and the plants that struggle in corners.  When we get down to it,  it can be pretty amazing what we can find when we look with a little more foc


us.
Here's my latest diary entry for your eyes and your students.
.......
Hi everyone,  this is another weeks diary from under.  It is sad to
see this week how some things we throw away can seriously effect the
environment.  Maybe we need to design plastics and packaging in away
to remove as many things as we can thatanimals can their heads stuck in.
.
DATE:  16 November 1992
.
GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT WATCH
.
Global Environment Watch was conceived to link teachers and children around the world to share their experiences and observations of the environment immediately around them.
It doesn't require anyone to be an expert, just prepared to write what they see.
The more we share the more we come to know about the global village of planet earth.
You may find things very similar or very different, or you may just find out more about where you live.  Whatever it is, share it with the rest of us.
.
LOCATION
Suburb of Ringwood; City of Melbourne; State of Victoria; Australia
Latitude: 37o 47 ' South.   Longitude 145o14' East
.
STUDY AREA
My backyard and Ringwood Lake.
.
THE WEATHER
Our weatehr continues to be a mix of very warm days with periods of rain.  The last couple of days of been lovely and I have gone for walks.  It is nice to feel the warmth of the sun on your back and a cool breeze in your face.
THE PLANTS
I always imagined that apples blossomed for weeks on end.  The trees in my backyard came into flower more or less at different times but they only blossomed for a couple of weeks.  I wonder this is how some flowers ensure that they pollinate with the same group or species of plants.  The apple tree that flowered earliest has fruit that is 15 mm across while the later flowering apple has fruit formed that is 4 to 6 mm across.  The later flowering tree in past years has always had the better fruit.
A species of wattle has come into bloom on the way to the lake giving a yellow display from its ball shaoes flowers.  Each ball (about 6mm across) is made up of a number of smaller flowers and an umber of balls form into clusters giving a lovely disply against the trees pale green leaves.
THE BIRDS
Down the lake I saw a Rufous Night Heron.  I hadn't seen one of these down the lake before.  It stood in the shallow of the water by the bank and ignored me across the water a few metres away on the opposite bank.  Next it had caught a small eel about 150 mm long.  I didn't know that there were eels in the lake.  It was unfornated though that the eel had a plastic spoon with a ring handle stuck around its body. We sometimes find these small spoons in fizz powder lollies here.  The bird had a lot of trouble


 because the spoon stopped it from swallowing the eel.  It attempted to pull the spoon off.  I went to give it a hand but it fly off with the eel.  I was hopping it would drop the eel to pick it up later.  I just hoped that it kept pulling at the spoon. Maybe it will come off.  Plastics are a real pollution problem.
THE ANIMALS
The carp in the lake were playing chasey.  I can only imagine that it is breeding season for them.  It looked like something out off a movie, but on a smaller scale.  As they cathed one another a  small wave often formed on the water in front of them.  It looked spooky, just like something from the Lock Ness monster or Jaws.
THE MINI-BEASTS
I gave my worms some watermelon yesterday.  They must have liked it because there is none left today.  They seem to be able to digest the soft food quite easily and they tend to eat it as a mass of worms rather than on their own.  Maybe it is easier to break the food down if they tackle it as a group.
...
Gordon,  sometimes we get Canadan and American Ice hockey here.  Do you ever get any of the Australian sport shows over there???
Cheers  Jimbo Down Under.


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