As an educator, I am always on the lookout for new opportunities to connect and engage with current initiatives and exciting new ventures in the Far North Queensland region!
In my role as Project Officer, Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders in Marine Science (ATSIMS) program - an education outreach initiative by James Cook University - I am fortunate to connect with a number of marine management and conservation organisations and partners. One of which is the amazing Reef Education Team at the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA). In a recent ATSIMS planning discussion with the Reef Education Team we saw an opporuntity to build the Citizen Science MangroveWatch program into our exisitng excursion to Orpheus Island Research Station.
Before long I had setup a meeting with the MangroveWatch team and was introduced to Jock MacKenzie and the overall program objectives. It just so happend that the following month there was also an upcoming professional development expedition for MangroveWatch in Cairns that Jock and the team were super excited about!
Well you can guess where I was off to next...
Sometimes the simplest conversations can lead to unexpected opportunites, connecting with MangroveWatch was one of them!