Dear Meryl
"I thoroughly enjoyed you teaching us all the wonderful information about stream life. …. I learned a lot about the stream life and where their habitats are" It was one of the most enjoyable school trips that I have ever been on!
(Oct, 2005 Raumanga Valley Road School)
Dear Ira
'I really enjoyed your company and helpful expertise. It's a bit strange but I actually enjoyed just looking at the water insects and picking them up with the eyedroppers more than actually catching them'
(Nov, 2005 Pompallier College)
Dear Meryl,
"The best part of the day was going into the water and doing the netting it was really fun and also trying to get all the bugs out with the pipette and also tallying up all the scores"
(Dec, 2005 Pompallier College)
Dear Ira
`As Friday the 14th dawned on me a gust of excitement filled my aching body. I enjoyed the sloshy, slirpy mud and the little slippery species of which it contained. Thank you for taking our pesty friends that we endeavoured to retrieve. We hope that we helped the sea life by taking from them pesty predators that roamed trickling boggy stream'
(Nov, 2003 Otamatea College)
'We have already been to the river to try the equipment. And all the parents to come to the river to educate us. We also educated them to. We still have to learn about whitebait. We are going to ask farmers to put up fences up so that there cattle don't stand on the whitebait eggs'.
(letter to DoC, Oruaiti school, 2003)
Dear Ira
"Thank you for the opportunity to sample stream life and to be up close to bugs in their own habitat. I learnt a lot of things at the stream study and I was especially surprised about how many creatures live in a small country stream. I learnt that caddisflies are very smart and they definitely look like a stick!! I looked up the "Whitebait Connection" website and saw some photos and the information was very interesting. I wish we were able to go swimming and maybe stay longer, but other than that the trip rocked and once again, thanks!"
(Pompallier College, Nov 2005)
"I went with my Mum and we went with Josh. We went to the stream. I went to the stream. I went with Kayla. We planted some trees to make the stream healthy"
(N.E. Maungatapere School, 2005)

Samples answers taken from children's competition 'World Wetlands Day' 2006. Exhibition of local students work held at Dept of Conservation office, Warkworth. What is 1 positive action that you could take to help improve the health of our streams, rivers, lakes and wetlands?

  • 'planting banks with plants to stop erosion' (Benny)
  • 'not putting toxic materials in the streams' (Lucas)
  • 'wash your car on the grass or at the carwash' (Kayla)
Dear Mr L
'Your stream was very healthy. I caught a lot of shrimp and sum fish, may fly and crayfish and I saw an eel. Thank you for letting us look after your stream.
Love A
(thank you letter to landowner by SRT student, Warkworth)