The Living Murray Project Launch

Two partnership projects between the Murray Darling Association, a group of schools near Albury and the Murray-Darling Basin Commission will be launched on Thursday 15 May by the Chief Executive of the Commission, Dr Wendy Craik.

The projects are a DVD of The Living Murray and a display of the Basins’ native fish and are funded by the Murray-Darling Basin Commission.

Spokesperson for the Murray Darling Association, Mr Adrian Wells, said today that students and teachers at youth forums conducted by the Association over the past five years had developed a number of resources to support students to explore a more sustainable future for the Murray River, including posters, curriculum material, student workbooks and teacher resources.

“One of these resources is a DVD on The Living Murray, developed by students and teachers from the Walbundrie Small Schools Learning Group” Mr Wells said.

“While the DVD is primarily about the Murray River, it has relevance to all rivers, all students and all communities across the Murray-Darling Basin”, Mr Wells said.

Mr Wells said that the DVD was developed and filmed with the assistance of students, government agencies and communities the length of the Murray from the mountains to the Murray’s mouth.

“Schools will find this DVD a very valuable and stimulating resource that will encourage students to think about, learn about and respond to one of the great river systems of the world”, Mr Wells said.

“Making the DVD also reflects the enthusiasm and commitment of local students and teachers to clean, healthy and productive rivers”, Mr Wells said.

Dr Craik will also open a new display about native fish that has been developed by the Burrumbuttock Public School and the Wirraminna Environmental Education Centre.

Principal of Burrumbuttock Public School, Mr Owen Dunlop, said today that the school and the Centre had developed the display on native fish to help students and the community better understand the Murray-Darling Basin Commission’s Native Fish Strategy.

“With support from the Murray-Darling Basin Commission, Wirraminna has developed an innovative and exciting display that features many of the fish and their habitats”, Mr Dunlop said.

“Rather than display the larger and better-known fish such as Murray cod and Golden Perch, this display shows many of the smaller fish that students could easily relate to and which are just as vital in the river environment”, Mr Dunlop said.

Mr Dunlop said that the DVD and the native fish display were both partnership projects involving students, teachers, Local Government, the NSW Education Department, the Aboriginal community, scientists, parents, artists and government agencies.

“These projects reflect the partnerships required in the future to improve the management of the Murray River to balance environmental, social and economic demands”, Mr Dunlop said.

Dr Craik will launch the two projects at the Wirraminna Environmental Education Centre in Burrumbuttock at 9.45am on Thursday 15 May.

Following the launch, Dr Craik and NSW Department of Education and Training Staff will meet many of the students involved in the DVD production to view the draft of a student activity workbook on The Living Murray. The publication is an initiative of the Murray Darling Association and Burrumbuttock Public School and funded by the Murray-Darling Basin Commission . When completed, the activity book and associated resources will be available free for all primary schools the length of the Murray River.

For more information:

Mr Owen Dunlop – Phone 0260293253 or owen.dunlop@det.nsw.edu.au

Media interviews/photographs available between 11am and 11.30am