Field of Mars Environmental Education Centre

Experience Engage Enable

Telephone02 9816 1298

Emailfieldofmar-e.school@det.nsw.edu.au

Ecosystems excursion program

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Teacher checklist

Location

Field of Mars Reserve, 220 Pittwater Road, East Ryde

Wallumedegal Country

Google maps - Apple maps
Supply bus driver with Field of Mars Reserve bus information
Field of Mars Reserve risk management plan

View the YouTube track overview videos.

Buffalo Creek track

Doyle and Warada loop track

Strangers Creek loop track
Cost

2025 DoE $26 per student - GST free

2025 Non-gov school cost $36 per student - GST free, minimum charge $750

Schools are to confirm the number of students and classes at least 7 days prior to attending. Schools will be charged based on the number of students confirmed or number of students who attend on the day (whichever is greater). 
Welfare

Participants will be bushwalking all day in rugged terrain.

Limited wheelchair accessibility.

This excursion may not be suitable for people who have recently been unwell.

Toilets are available at the beginning and end of the day and during breaks (see timetable below).
Bring

Backpack, clipboard, medication, low-waste food, water bottle, sunblock, wet weather gear, hat, sports uniform, sturdy shoes.

There are no bins at the Field of Mars Reserve.

There are no shops near the study site.
Worksheets

Worksheets are available for viewing upon booking.

Schools are responsible for printing student worksheets.
Preparation and supporting resources
Supporting teaching and learning resources
Additional learning resources
Bin access

All student waste to be taken home by students.
Medical or special needs

Notify Field of Mars staff prior to excursion.

Students, staff and visitors must not attend if unwell, even with mild symptoms. 
Extreme or wet whether

Days predicted to be above 35ºC, high winds, extreme bush fire danger and dust storms may result in the excursion being modified, postponed or cancelled. 
Cancellations

Cancellations with less than 30 working school days notice will incur a $600 administration fee. 

Cancellations with less than 7 working school days notice will incur the full cost for the program based on the original booking. 

Cancellations due to weather or fire danger are exempt from fees. 

Suggested timetable

Time

Class A, B

 

Class C, D
9.30 - 10.00 Introduction and fieldwork preparation
10.00 - 12.00

Bushwalk and habitat assessment 

 

 Animal survey
Food web construction
Break (30 mins)
12.00 - 1.50

Break (30 mins)

Bushwalk and habitat assessment 

 
Animal survey
Food web construction
1.50 - 2.15

Break

Conclusion and depart

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Ecosystems excursion

Science

Program

Assuming the role of ecologists, students will engage in a case study on the conservation of the powerful owl - Australia's largest owl. Through a series of fieldwork investigations relating to habitat quality, biodiversity and food webs, students will examine the role of the Field of Mars Reserve in bringing powerful owls back from the brink. 

Inquiry questions

  • Is the Field of Mars Reserve suitable for roosting and nesting for the powerful owl?
  • Can the food web in the Field of Mars Reserve support powerful owls?

Fieldwork  

Habitat assessment

Students will utilise fieldwork instruments to sample a variety of critical abiotic and biotic factors in the Field of Mars Reserve. They will use their data to evaluate the reserve's suitability as a roosting and nesting site for owls.

Animal survey and food web construction 

Students will analyse pellet samples to identify the food sources of the powerful owl. They will also survey the reserve for evidence of animal presence and use the collected data to construct a food web of the ecosystem. This will enable students to determine whether the habitat can support populations of powerful owls.

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Syllabus outcomes and content

Science 7-10 Syllabus (2023)

Outcomes

A student:

  • SC4-LIV-01 describes the role, structure and function of a range of living systems and their components

  • SC4-WS-02 identifies questions and makes predictions to guide scientific investigations

  • SC4-WS-05 uses a variety of ways to process and represent data

  • SC4-WS-08 communicates scientific concepts and ideas using a range of communication forms

Content

Living systems

    Ecosystems

  • Identify the components that make up an ecosystem
  • Investigate the interactions of biotic and abiotic factors in an ecosystem
  • Identify how matter and energy are cycled through an ecosystem
  • Create a food web and ecological energy pyramid based on local area observations to describe how matter and energy move through an ecosystem
  • Examine secondary-source data on the factors that change populations, including the introduction of a new species to an ecosystem, to identify trends, patterns and relationships, and draw conclusions

Science and Technology 7-10 Syllabus © NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) for and on behalf of the Crown in right of the State of New South Wales, 2023

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Field of Mars Environmental Education Centre

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We’d like to acknowledge the Wallumedegal Peoples of the Darug Nation, the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we stand and pay our respects to Elders past and present.

Copyright for this website is owned by the State of New South Wales through the Department of Education. For more information go to http://www.dec.nsw.gov.au/footer/copyright.