Five members of the Wedderburn CMN recently attended a photography workshop at the Daylesford Learning Centre with the intention of improving their skills in photo point monitoring of the environment within our focus area.
Photographs, well taken and documented, provide an excellent record of environmental change. Photo point monitoring is a standardized procedure used by environmental authorities worldwide for documenting both spatial and temporal environmental change. The camera, when used in this way, is recognized as an important scientific tool. Group members found the workshop helped in understanding camera operation and the techniques and principles essential to obtaining valid results. The workshop was attended by about fifteen people from various backgrounds: environmental managers, landholders, members of Landcare groups, environmentalists and also two archeologists keen to utilize the technique in their work. As well as theory there was also an outdoor activity where we could try out our new found skills and knowledge. Overall, this was a very useful and informative day enjoyed by all.
Following on from Michael’s report, I have been putting into motion some of the points we were shown at the Photo Point Monitoring Workshop. So far two sites have been monitored using photos taken from set points. The first site is the Korong Bushland Reserve and the second site is the trial ecological thinning site at Doug Pocock’s property. As more works occur in other areas, photo monitoring points will be set up there also to record the progress of the site and the works.
Article by Wendy Murphy and Michael Moore
No comments:
Post a Comment