From: James.Bannan@f369.n633.z3.fidonet.org (James Bannan)
Newsgroups: k12.chat.teacher
Subject: Global Environment Watch
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 92 00:49:04 PDT
Organization: FidoNet node 3:633/369 - City Limits BBS, Boronia Vic

Carol,  well how have you been?  I have been trying to find Irving on my Atlas but unfortunately the area is not as well defined as other parts.  I found Richardson which seems to be the gateway you are using or the messages are coming through from.  Can you give me some towns around Irving so I can mark you on my map?
We had 30oC today It was great if you love the hot weather but awful if you like it cooler.  Do you pick up the other messages that are coming from other parts of the world on GEW?????  There is a guy from the Netherlands - Guus Goos  who is writing and a few others are picking up the project / interest.  Here's my diary for this week if you haven't picked it up on the open broadcast.
.....
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.
......
Christmas shopping is coming into full swing here.  Christmas falls inour main holidays here and we don't have the traditional white christmas.  Since your about as far North of the Equator as I am south I guess you don't have a white Christmas either????
Cheers for now Carol
Jimbo Down Under


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