Over 300 people attended the Summer Series of Science events, met the Research Centre team to find out about the Centre, our research projects and engagement with community during the inaugural Summer Series of Science.
Participants now have a greater understanding, and value, of what the CLLMM Research Centre does to generate evidence of climate change impacts and do want to be involved in protecting the ecosystem by volunteering directly with the Centre, or with others of our partners/stakeholders.
“The success of this series of activities is evident by numbers of people attending and the positive feedback we’ve received,” says Dr Nick Whiterod, Science Program Manager.
“It’s very clear that many people understand the threats to the region and want to be more active in helping protect it. By bringing together community members and local organisations to share knowledge and information, the Research Centre is helping to develop strong relationships which will support future activities.”
The program’s range of activities offered different levels of engagement with science.
The two panel discussions gave voice to local organisations active in addressing issues, and to individuals concerned about them.
“It was pleasing to hear multiple speakers with potentially divergent and possibly contrary views, from quite nostalgic to the contemporary, all settled convivially with a tangible sense of common purpose.”
While the Centre is surrounded by water in Goolwa, the opportunity to take a Coorong Cruise with the team at the Spirit of the Coorong was a treat for many who came on board to see and experience the locations for some of our projects and hear from related researchers.
“Seeing the Coorong/ Lower Lakes from the water, getting off the boat at Barkers Knoll and walking over to the wild part of the Coorong…. Speakers on the boat were great.”
The Citizen Science Showcase – including live fish capture – delivered a great informal engagement with science and scientists. And many enjoyed the Spotlight Speaker, Tim Jarvis AO, whose tales of recreating the incredible Antarctic expeditions of Sir Douglas Mawson, and Sir Ernest Shackleton are enthralling, and help show how climate change impacts the least visited continent.
“Every session was unique. There were many highlights. Climate change offered a wide range of "experts", Tim's trip made me read his book, the boat trip and walk were informative and lastly the displays and seeing fish species caught out the front were experiences hard to beat. Thank you.”
