World Ranger Day is a celebration of the tireless work undertaken by professional rangers globally to conserve the natural environment that surrounds us. A visit to Year 6 students by James Overall, Ranger in Charge with ACT Parks and Conservation Service and collegian (Class of 2001), gave students an insight into the unique aspects of a ranger’s job. James regards it as his great privilege to oversee the ACT Government’s management of northern Namadgi National Park, the Lower Cotter Catchment and Murrumbidgee River Corridor. And the slides he showed confirmed how special his workplace is, situated in beautiful and diverse landscapes and home to some of Australia’s most precious and vulnerable flora and fauna.
James described how a ranger’s duties include a variety of tasks that change seasonally. The focus at certain times might be on clearing trees and debris from fire trails to ensure they are clear for firefighters. Other periods are taken up with planting vegetation to control erosion and monitoring and spraying weed infestations. With 75 per cent of the ACT managed by ACT Parks and Conservation, there is little time to stop and pick the blackberries (an invasive introduced weed causing untold damage to native plants and animals). Some of the equipment used by the rangers to access the remoter areas of the territory include kayaks, mountain bikes, helicopters and, thrillingly, a high-tech drone.
James won the hearts of his audience early with tales of Radford of old (Go Acacia!) and finished his presentation with a series of slides showing the development of the area on which the College sits from the 1830s through to 2015. In response to the many questions asked by his attentive listeners, James stressed the importance of us understanding our environmental ‘impact’ through actions big and small. We can make positive contributions to conservation by simple acts, such as keeping to trails while bushwalking or taking our rubbish with us when we leave a park or reserve. Equally, we can impact negatively through other, seemingly small, acts, like taking fallen logs out of the forest that may be used as shelter or for food by small animals and insects.
According to James, we all have a role to play in protecting and preserving our natural environment. As a result of his guidance, this Year 6 group has a solid basis from which to make a start.
Read more about him in collegians news.
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