Science, Technology and Engineering

School of Life Sciences

Department of Environmental Management & Ecology

Arid Zone Ecology field trip

WEM2/3ARZ - 15 credit point subject

Includes a 9 day field trip to Calperum Station, eastern South Australia

*Please note - change of location and finish date for safety reasons*

Co ordinator: Dr Peter Pridmore

Subject dates: Monday 28th May to Friday 18th August 2012

Field trip dates: Saturday 14th July to Saturday 21st July 2012

Field trip cost is $540 (must be paid by Thursday 26th April 2012, covers food, accommodaiton and travel for the field trip)

Those taking the subject will spend two days travelling by bus from the Wodonga campus to Calperum. The first day of travel will close with an overnight stop in n.w. Victoria which will lead into a visit to Hattah-Kulkyne National Park the following morning. Five days will then be spent undertaking ecological studies in Calperum Station (north of Renmark) before returning to Wodonga. There will be no overnight stop on the return trip and it is expected that Melbourne and other non-Albury-Wodonga students will use the following day (Sunday 22 nd July) to return to their homes.

To book a place on this field trip you must follow the procedures on the application form by Wednesday 2nd November 2011. Click here for application form.

Calperum Station is a 242,800 ha pastoral lease located in eastern South Australia which is managed by the Australian Landscape Trust. The station lies near the transition from semi-arid to arid zone. The annual rainfall is low (240 mm) and erratic. In the summer the mean maximum and minimum monthly temperatures approximate 33° and 17° C, respectively. In winter the equivalent monthly values are 16° and 5° C. The station supports extensive areas of mallee (low multi-stemmed eucalypts), some chenopod shrublands and riparian woodlands, and ephemeral wetlands. The main buildings and student accommodation are located some 20 km north-east of Renmark.

At Calperum Station students will study organisms and ecosystems through daytime excursions, team-based research projects, and through daily discussions and lectures. Pre-trip materials (including background reading on the arid zone environment) will be provided online and student knowledge of this material will be assessed before the field trip. Post-trip requirements will include the submission of a research report on the project conducted at Calperum and assessment of knowledge of the arid zone and field techniques acquired during the field trip. This subject will introduce students to the ecology of the Australian arid zone and reinforce and extend their capacity to undertake ecological research in the field.

In 2012 the subject is only available for students enrolled in the Bachelor of Animal and Veterinary Bioscience (WEM3ARZ) (based on academic merit) and Bachelor of Science in Environmental Management & Ecology (WEM2ARZ).

Subject Census date - Friday 22 nd June 2012. Students who withdrawal from the subject after Thursday 26 th April 2012 may not be refunded the $120 accommodation component of the fieldtrip.