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This year saw the third year of implementing the Balmain Foreshore Project. In 2022 and 2023, the project was implemented with Year 10 students, and this year the project was expanded into Year 9. Again, it saw the Geography and Science teachers of an Enrichment class working together to provide an alternate, extension program. The Year 10 program involves a focus on mangroves and the intertidal zone to study the Environmental Change and Management topic in Geography, and the Chemistry topic in Science (mainly learnig about water testing). This year the Year 9 Science class was studying a topic called Ecosystems - a combination of a number of syllabus topics, and Biomes in Geography. This seemed like it was a pretty natural fit. For 2024, the decision was made to extend the project to Year 9 and to take a different but complementary approach to examining the foreshore by examining bushcare sites along the foreshore. A section of the school grounds, adjacent to the site where the Living Seawalls were installed the previous year, has a bushcare site maintained by volunteers. Less than a 2km walk away, is another bushcare site located at Callan Park. Students carried out a comparison study between the two sites.  The Balmain Foreshore Project allows students to undertake a set of tests, and fieldwork activities which address investigation and inquiry skills requirements in both Geography and Science. The similarities and connections between the Geographic Inquiry process and a Scientific Investigation was explained, and links between the Science and Geography content was discussed with students. Students were asked to develop a series of inquiry questions to guide their investigation into the two bush care sites. They were also asked to identify appropriate fieldwork they could undertake to carry out their investigation.   Students were introduced to the two bush cares sites - one on school grounds, and another a couple of kilometres away in a local park. Information was provided about soils, vegetation, fauna and comparable, nearby sites in close to their natural state.
Students undertook some basic fieldwork to become familiar with the two sites - an environmental perception form and field sketch. They also undertook abiotic testing of the two sites - air temperature, soil temperature, humidity, light intensity, wind speed and direction, soil texture, soil parent material, soil moisture/colour and leaf litter depth.    At each site, student choose three plants on which to undertake Specific plant studies. This included a small drawing to the tree shape, an estimation of the tree height, trunk circumference, the flower shape and colour, a drawing and description of the leaf shape and colour, a description of the bark texture and colour and drawing of a seed pod.   Students were required to take a series of photographs recording the types of trees and plants found at each location. These photos were then uploaded into a shared Google folder for identification.  A bird field guide and associated tally sheet were used to enable students to complete a bird biodiversity study.    Following the fieldwork activities, students were required to plan, write, film, narrate a video documentary to present their findings. In the process of completing their documentaries several groups of students also undertook filmed interviews with members of the public.
The project culminated in a class debate: Urbanisation is a threat to sustainable biomes. Should there be limitations on urban land uses on the Iron Cove foreshore to prioritise environmental conservation?
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