Posted July 2008 Queensland students gear up for exciting eco-adventure
		Queensland students will follow the adventures of 30 junior secondary school "River Ambassadors" online as they hike, cycle, canoe and boat their way along the Brisbane River in the second Bunya to the Bay eco-adventure. Held bi-annually, Bunya to the Bay focuses on the health of the Brisbane River and aims to raise community awareness about the importance of managing one of our most precious resources - water.

Learning Place senior project officer Rebekah Hermann says this year, there will be greater opportunities for online participation. "The online component has been carefully designed to offer students from P-12 flexibility in the way they choose to participate. “The online activities will enable students to express their concerns and be proactive about the future of their local environment."

Bunya to the Bay will be captured through a Learning Place Virtual Field Trip and will involve three levels of participation: observe, appreciate and investigate. At the 'observe level' students will be able to follow the journey online by viewing the adventure through the stories, images and data shared by the ambassadors.

The 'appreciate level' will also follow the online journey but students will contribute to the Virtual Field Trip as a partner school. Participating students are encouraged to use creative mediums to express their appreciation of local waterways and the environment in general.

The 'investigate level' will enable students to explore local environmental issues through an action research model utilising similar methodologies to those employed by the ambassadors. Blogs will be used to connect students undertaking these studies to the field experts who are supporting ambassadors on the trip. The result of this study will enable students to make recommendations for the sustainability of their local area.

Held from 23 August to 7 September, the event will aim to build on the success of the 2006 Bunya to the Bay which won the Healthy Waterways Best Education Program Award in 2007.

Find out more information about how your class, school or cluster can be involved and keep up to date by visiting the Bunya to the Bay Learning Place Events website.