special project
The Sapphire Coast Science Festival 2022
for National Science Week August 13 – 20
Presented by the Sapphire Science Hub, Bournda EEC and Atlas of Life,
the 2022 Sapphire Coast Science Week will focus on life along our coasts.
You are invited to join us for all online sessions, field trips and in-person events.
We look forward to seeing you online and in person around and about the Sapphire Coast.
Saturday 13th Walawaani Muriyira-waraga whale festival LAUNCH Bermagui
sunday 14th merimbula estuary ramble at Spencer Park
Tuesday 16th. “The Value and Power of Place-based Science” Online Presentation- Atlas/ACSA
Tuesday 16th Build it and help them come - Marine life on Man made structures
Thursday 18th The tawny frogmouth encounter (11am)
Thursday 18th Science in the pub (6pm)
friday 19th Australian BioBlitz symposium - ACSA/Atlas
Saturday 20th Potoroo Palace Night Tour
Saturday 13th Walawaani Muriyira-waraga
Walawaani Muriyira-Waraga (‘safe journey whale many’ in Dhurga language)
Opening Event
Join Sapphire Coast Destination Marketing to welcome our whales at the official opening of the 2022 whale season!
Hosted in Bermagui on Saturday 13 August, Walawaani Muriyira-Waraga means 'safe journey whale - many', translated from the local Dhurga language.
This brand new one-day event brings together the local community to herald the coming of the whales and to celebrate the cultural significance of this annual migration to the local Yuin people.
The event will feature local Aboriginal speakers and performances, an ocean paddle out to welcome the whales, whale-themed talks by local experts, and exclusive whale-watching charters for community members.
Join us in Bermagui for this amazing event and make a day of it with friends and family.
10.00 am - Opening Ceremony
11.00 am - Community Paddle Out
11.30 am - Whale Tales - Speakers at the Bermagui Surf Club
1.00 pm - Community Whale Watching Charter
3.30 pm - Community Whale Watching Charter
For the latest details or to register for any of the key events check out the
Walawaani Muriyira-Waraga home page
Come along and learn about our local Indigenous Culture and our Whales.
Atlas of Life is looking forward to seeing you there and helping you navigate the iNaturalist app so you can log all your whale sightings!
sunday 14th merimbula estuary ramble
Sunday 14th August 2:30 to 4 pm - Spencer Park, Merimbula
A winter walk along the edge of Merimbula Lake at low tide to search for hidden treasures like Moon snails, Sea Slugs, Shrimps, Hermit crabs and Rose-petalled Bubble snails. There are always special things to find.
Just come along from 2:30 pm – 4 pm to this free event. Make sure you bring reef boots or other footwear you don’t mind getting wet. Also clothes suitable for the winter weather.
Bring your phones for recording into iNaturalist.
Ramble led by Libby Hepburn and Liz Allen
Some of the creatures we’ve seen in the past include (L-R) Hermit Crabs, Red-lined Bubble Snails, Headshield Slugs, Octopii
Tuesday 16th ACSA “The Value and Power of Place-based Science”
Tuesday 16th August 2:30 to 4:30 pm - Online Symposium
ACSA is the Australian Citizen Science Association.
Citizen science can move mountains if enough people get involved. This online symposium will explore great global and local examples of powerful place-based citizen science and consider why this is the sweet spot for great science with communities.
When people are interested in studying their own locality, they are likely to do this more carefully and over long periods, because their place matters to them. If science can contribute robust methodologies and data can be FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable), results are likely to be meaningful to all. We can foster interest, understanding and stewardship of “Our Place” with good science.
We will showcase a number of different but powerful projects and discuss what research would be valuable in Bega Valley (or any Local Council area).
This symposium invites people working with local Councils (especially BVSC), LLS, Landcare, NPWS, scientists, farmers, landholders and community members wanting to take their interest in nature and our environment to the next level. Discussion will include: What sort of projects are most successful? What is the value for NRMs (Natural Resource Managers)? Can we join up the dots by having common methodologies (eg. Phenology) that can be replicated across the country?
Register in advance for this meeting. Link here: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/the-value-and-power-of-place-based-science-tickets-390241822797
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting
Program:
1. International and examples of PBS
a. Amazon Fishers - Peru
b. Cureiuze Neuzen (Curious Nose) – Air-quality project Flanders
c. Crowd the Tap – Water pipes and water quality Caren Cooper US
2. National/local examples
a. Jock McKenzie – A tidal wetland ecologist and science communicator talks about Mangroves!
b. Stuart Harris – A citizen scientist with 6 discovered species and a fascination with spiders and beetles
c. Patrick Tegart – Wingecarribee Council’s environment levee, does it work?
d. Simon Tedder – Post 2020 Bushfire response and research – what we know now
e. Amy Denshire – Bellingen Riverwatch – River turtles, clean water & a keen community
f. Michael Mulvaney – Citizen Science around the ACT
3. Thomas Mesaglio – Our iNaturalist guru shows how to advance place-based science in the community using iNaturalist app.
Tuesday 16th Build it and help them come - Tulips, Stars, SPonges & Squirts
Tuesday 16th August 5pm - Online discussion
Build it and help them come- tulips, horses, stars, sponges and squirts - How underwater specialists are helping bring life to man-made marine structures.
Piles under jetties and wharves are homes to a multitude of life. Soft corals, sponges, and other corals in particular form colonies on the under water timbers.
In this online forum, Sophie Teede from WA’s Busselton Jetty, Nathan Cook from Wonder Reef on the Gold Coast and AJ Morton from Operation Sponge at Blairgowrie in Victoria will be speaking about their underwater structure restoration and species relocation projects.
Also joining the discussion will be project managers from Living Seawalls, at Sydney Institute of Marine Science.
These experts join Luke Hamilton of Tathra’s Life Under the Wharf project in the lead up to the Tathra Wharf restoration which begins in October. Joining Luke will be his daughter Minka, who was instrumental in motivating the Tathra community and Bega Valley Shire Council around this project.
Register in advance for this webinar: https://nsweducation.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_NEQqJF7HTVaSjxTOZ6VE4Q
Thursday 18th 11 am The tawny frogmouth
I am not an Owl!
Yes, that’s right, the Tawny frogmouth is not an owl.
Presented by Tathra’s own Tiny Zoo, as part of the 2022 Sapphire Coast Science Festival, you can learn about this amazing species with one of our zookeepers at this free outdoor event.
Not only will you learn a lot about this incredible species, but you will also get to meet a Tawny frogmouth during this educational talk.
The talk will be held in Tathra, and the location is provided once you book tickets (note this event is limited to 25 participants).
Our fascinating Tawny Frogmouths
Thursday 18th Science in the pub
Thursday 18th August from 6pm - Tathra Hotel
To The Lighthouse! Science in the Pub with a lighthouse keeper…
For seafaring types, a lighthouse is something you should give a wide berth, but you’ll want to be up close for this one - a special Science in the Pub, featuring our popular blend of science, music, food and pub quiz with a fascinating presentation on the life of a modern lighthouse engineer!
Guest speaker Greg Hansen will describe some of the challenges he has experienced, the modern optic technologies adopted in historical lighthouses, and his work to enhance offshore asset resilience to large storm events.
The presentation will also feature a short 10-minute film, the 1949 National Film Board classic, “The Lighthouse Keeper”.
Our speaker: Greg Hansen is Engineer Manager with the Australian Maritime Safety Authority and involved in the management of AMSA’s marine aid to navigation network asset management, engineering, and project delivery functions. Working from home in Kalaru for the past 4 years.
Greg has 30 plus years’ experience in the engineering sector primarily in the maritime field, covering areas such as marine navigation assets, heavy engineering workshops, ship construction and repair and offshore oil & gas. With technical qualifications and experience, Greg’s career has generally focused on positions which are in line with personal values such as marine safety, renewable energies, sustainability, and environmental protection.
Greg graduated from the Australian Maritime College with a Bachelor Engineering specialising in Marine & Offshore Systems (mechanical, electrical, systems, and civil engineering disciplines). And has achieved chartered engineering status in, marine and offshore systems, and marine engineering with the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (IMarEST).
Greg represents Australia at International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (IALA) Engineering and Sustainability Committee, Paris, France. Has led and participated in working groups developing international guidelines on: Environmental management, Structure maintenance, Solar and battery technology, Heritage and asset management plans, Outsourced services, Construction codes for pacific countries, including adapting to climate change.
Throughout Greg’s career he has been exposed to: Designing offshore structures to withstand ever increasing cyclonic and storm loadings, Repair / replacement of assets destroyed by large storm events and bushfires, Assisting pacific countries rebuild destroyed infrastructure due to large cyclones, Plan / design assets to be resilient to trends of larger storm events and Working with indigenous groups nationally who say the seasons are changing...
Book here: https://www.trybooking.com/CBJCL
Below: Left Greg Hansen, Right Not Greg Hansen
friday 19th ACSA - Australian BioBlitz symposium
Friday 19th August 7:30 - 9pm - Online
We have been running BioBlitzes in Australia for over a decade now and it’s great to see them becoming ever more popular these days.
Now is a good time to celebrate the unique events we have been part of and some of the amazing results we have seen.
This symposium will focus on the shape of recent BioBlitzes and we will discuss what BioBlitzes can offering future – for community and for science.
Co-hosts: Libby Hepburn and Larissa Braz Sousa
Presenters: Larissa Braz Sousa and Michelle Neil , Great Southern BioBlitz creators & leaders; Great Southern Bioblitz contributor from South Africa - Suvarna Parbhoo; Thomas Mesaglio, iNaturalist guru; Will Cornwell from UNSW on the post-bushfire BioBlitzes and Judith Friedlander talking about BioBlitzes for schools. For more information about presenters
Register in advance for this meeting: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/acsa-australian-bioblitz-symposium-tickets-390245022367
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting
saturday 20th explore our Nocturnal Animals - Night tour
Potoroo Palace Native Animal Sanctuary - from 5pm
Native Wildlife Sanctuary Potoroo Palace presents our closing event for Science Week 2022.
With their renowned hospitality and hearty, healthy food from Cows Nest, the people at our award-winning animal sanctuary invite you into the night world of our marsupials like Bettongs, Potoroos, Gliders and other nocturnal creatures.
After a warming meal you will be taken out into the grounds, guided by expert animal carers. You’ll be introduced to some of our wonderful, local, nocturnal animals, and glimpse their active night life, learning all the while.
From 5pm for hors d’oevres, 6pm Main Meal, 7pm Night Tour ($60pp)
Ticket Link: https://fb.me/e/3ybe1fmY4 (Note tickets will be on sale Monday 8th August.)
