A colourful mural created by Whareama School students was unveiled at Riversdale store last week to promote conservation of the rare New Zealand dotterel that nests at Riversdale.
The students at Whareama School have been learning about the dotterel as part of their Enviroschools programme which has also seen them involved in other environmental projects in the community including beach clean-ups and the planting at Rewanui and on the Riversdale shore over many years. They worked with Forest and Bird and Masterton artist Ali Foster to create the mural which they hoped would make a difference for the conservation of shorebirds at Riversdale.
Wairarapa Enviroschools facilitator Gill Stewart said projects like the dotterel mural bring communities and people together to make Wairarapa a great place to live for all inhabitants.
"Going beyond the school gate in a project like this is really challenging for schools. So it is a credit to the team at Whareama School, especially Katz Taylor -- the lead Enviroschools teacher, but also to the number of organisations that helped to make this happen -- Forest and Bird, GWRC, Enviroschools, MDC, Men's Shed, Resene Paint, and the Riversdale Store.
"What I love about this sort of project is facilitating an experience that the students won't forget -- one where they can see that they can make a difference in our community and I am hopeful that as they learn about our amazing wildlife and the challenges we all have living on this planet, they will continue to want to have an active role in making wherever they live, a good place for all inhabitants to live."
