School engagement program

Local Land Services is working with schools in the Hunter region to educate children about land management and conservation.

Last updated: 28 April 2026

Children sitting in a classroom with their hands raised.
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Quick facts

Lead
Local Land Services
Topics
Natural resource management <br> Threatened species <br> Waterways
Local Land Services Regions
Hunter

Project overview

Status: In progress

Our future land managers are extremely important to Local Land Services. Through the School engagement program, school students can grow to become land management champions.

Inspire your students to become change makers! Hands on activities focus on localised issues and solutions, providing your students with the confidence and knowledge to make a difference in their community.  

Activities are suitable for both primary and high school students and are tailored accordingly.

4:22

Our School Engagement Program

Thanks to our longterm partnership with Hunter Water, we are lucky to be able to visit local schools and educate the next generation about river care, land management, biosecurity and inspire kids to become active land managers in the future!

Read transcript
Video transcript

Our School Engagement Program

hunter local land services
has partnered with hunter water
corporation for many years to provide
the school engagement project
the project provides engagement
activities based around
catchment improvement water quality and
catchment health
information on threatened species and
pest animals
as well as sustainable agricultural
practices
and emergency management so the great
thing about this program has been that
it's all about local issues
raymond terry sits on the junction of
the williams and hunter river
so learning about the hunter river and
the hunter river turtle
is a really localised issue for us we
partner
very closely with the save our species
program
with local government with aboriginal
organizations
to provide some great educational
activities for school students
some of the activities that we provide
include in-school activities and
presentations
catchment crawls where we take students
on a bus tour of their local catchment
local field studies to
a local river or wetland where students
are able to undertake water testing or a
water bug survey
as well as online activities and
presentations
when we had our testing wall quality
and looking at the bugs i really enjoyed
those things because
it was very kind of a new of an
experience and it really taught me how
to take care of things
with all our messaging there is a call
to action
so the students are actually feeling
empowered to be able to make a change
so the learning doesn't just stop in the
classroom they then go
home and they feel inspired and
empowered to make changes
at home and also amongst their local
community
now they all want to know more they want
to learn more they want to find out more
and they want to do more
and that's probably been the main effect
for our students is that they all want
to
do more and me and my friends
we started to do things about it like
at home i tried to stop my dad using
plastic
because that he would normally put that
in the bin and sometimes
when it's in the garbage truck he'll
fall out and the rain will carry
down the storm drain and then turtles
might think it's
food and eat it and then they get sick
inside
or get choking or plastic bags
as an educator i think it's just been
the passion that's come from this
program
i think just the expression on all of
their faces really it hasn't even had to
be in words
just the excitement on their faces there
was a hunter river turtle and a manning
river turtle
the hunter river turtle was short-necked
and was quite confident to go out
and look around what i think is most
important though is that
we're embedding this information into
our students this isn't just
you know a short-term program they'll
take this information away
with them and you know even as they
leave our school
information about the hunter river
turtle and the benefits and the
predators and all of that thing will
stay with them forever
i think it's very important that we
learn about these things in school so
we understand how bad it could get when
we get older and
say we have our own house so we can make
sure it's
safe for the river bringing a little bit
more awareness to people
say if you live in this area there is a
lot of
waterways near you so you can be a bit
more mindful
of your recycling and your rubbish and
all of that
school engagement is important to hunter
local land services
we have been really fortunate to have a
long-term
partnership with hunter water
corporation which has
enabled us to provide a whole range of
fantastic
educational opportunities to school
students in our region
i feel really passionate about the
hunter of total being alive here
because that's one animal in australia
that cannot live anywhere
else on earth and you have to keep them
safe here
you

Project objectives

This project will inspire students to become change makers and give them the confidence and knowledge to make a difference in their community.

Project delivery

The activities of the School Engagement Program are hands-on and focus on localised issues and solutions. 

3:27

Citizen scientists in action!

Hunter Local Land Services loved supporting and getting involved with the inaugural Hunter River Health Check!

Resources for teachers

Local Land Services can provide printable resources or in-person presentations that are suitable for both primary and high school students and are tailored accordingly.

Topics include:

  • water quality and catchment health
  • pest animals
  • cultural burning
  • sustainability
  • threatened species.

Get the resources

Local Land Services have also teamed up with Enviro-stories and Adventures at your place to deliver additional resources for teachers.

Enviro-stories

Create a legacy within your community!  Following on from one of our presentations or activities, your students may have the opportunity to be involved in writing and illustrating their own story. Stories are published, posted online and copies are provided for the school library and all students.

See examples

Adventures at your place

Discover the wonders of soil, spot backyard birds, identify wild pollinators and make a lizard lounge! These are just some of the activities which enable kids to discover their piece of the landscape puzzle in the Adventures at Your place activity series, supported by LLS. The activities encourage kids to get outside and explore their own backyard or local bushland/waterway and are also suitable for the school playground or in class.

See activities

Cultural burns are cool

Cultural burns are cool (PDF 4.02MB) is an educational resource developed by Hunter Local Land Services, consisting of a story, facts and script for a play. The play provides an immersive experience for students, enabling them to obtain an appreciation of how and why Cultural burns can benefit, improve and maintain healthy landscapes for our community.

Watch St Brigid’s Primary school students perform the play.

9:16

Caring for Country with Fire

Available program activities

Catchment crusaders

Hunter Local Land Services has teamed up with international award-winning performer Joel Howlett from JD's World of Magic to deliver a fun, interactive and educational experience that students will never forget! The Catchment Crusader magic show educates students about:

  • catchments
  • riparian zones
  • simple ways we can all protect our creeks and rivers.

This experience is appropriate for Kinder to Year 6 and there is no minimum or maximum audience size.

A person stands at the front of a class full of children with a puppet.
 JD's World of Magic educates students about catchments, riparian zones and what they can do to protect creeks and rivers.
Magic of water quality workshops

Suitable for Stage 2 class groups, the Magic of Water Quality Workshops focus on:

  • catchments
  • water quality
  • riparian zones.

These in-class workshops are hands on, interactive and focus on the importance of protecting water quality for local species of turtle, platypus and more.  

A person with a platypus puppet and a sign that reads 'The drain is for rain, riparian zone and catchment'.
The Magic of Water Quality Workshops combine, fun, education and interactivity for students. 
Water quality activities

Students will learn about catchments and the importance of protecting water quality, develop an understanding of the pressures on river health, build a deeper connection to their local catchment and become inspired to help look after our catchments. 

Some of the activities that may be provided at your school or at a local site include:

  • A Catchment Story interactive presentation
  • water bug survey
  • water quality testing
  • riparian zone incursions and local site assessments
  • dung beetle workshop
  • environmental DNA sampling.
An adult sits with three children and shows them how to conduct a test on a water sample.
Local Land Services staff show children how to undertake water tests from samples they collect.
Hunter River health check

Join schools along the length of the Hunter River for a citizen-science project during September each year. Run by Local Land Servies in partnership with local experts, this program is empowering young people to:

  • test and monitor water quality
  • explore aquatic life and biodiversity
  • understand the pressures on river health
  • build a deeper connection to their local catchment.

Undertake activities at the river or in the classroom anytime during September that suits your school. All testing equipment, resources and support provided.  

3:57

Hunter River Health Check Schools Program

Threatened species activities

The Hunter Region is home to many threatened, endangered and iconic species, including the regent honeyeater, Hunter River turtle, koala, platypus and the Australasian bittern.  

Depending on the species of interest and the location of your school, we can provide a range of incursions and excursions relevant to that species, including:  

  • A Catchment Story interactive presentation  
  • water bug survey
  • water quality testing  
  • riparian zone incursions and local site assessments
  • environmental DNA sampling  
  • Whose Poo is Who? Students identify native and pest animal scats in resin.
  • Fast and Furriest outdoor game - helps students learn about the fight for survival many species experience due to the impacts of pest animals and humans
  • art workshops
  • local field studies, nature walks and bird watching. 
A koala is decorated with strips of paper.
Students can undertake art workshop incursions in their classroom.
Pest animal activities

Students will find out about the vertebrate pests in their local area which are impacting on native animals, the environment and agriculture. Pest animals discussed include cats, foxes, rabbits, wild dogs, feral deer and feral pigs.  

Activities include:

  • interactive in class presentation on pest animal species found in the local area, their impacts on threatened species, and a ‘Call to Action’ for students
  • Whose Poo is Who? Students identify native and pest animal scats in resin
  • Fast and Furriest outdoor game - helps students learn about the fight for survival many species experience due to the impacts of pest animals and humans. 
Animal scats preserved in resin are on the table surrounded by children.
Students can identify animal scats in 'Whose Poo is Who?'
Sustainability days and local field days

Local Land Services can make learning about sustainability fun by providing a range of activities either at a local site (preferable) or at school. The School Engagement Officer can assist to determine a suitable site for your school.

Depending on availability and location, students may participate in:

  • water testing
  • a water bug survey
  • vegetation assessment
  • animal habitats
  • a catchment relay and more!

Other organisations can also be invited to attend and provide activity sessions, such as:

  • Hunter Water
  • Local Council
  • Landcare
  • Birdlife.
Three children use nets in a flowing stream.
Students can undertake surveying and testing in their catchment.
Marine debris removal

Take part in Clean4Shore’s award-winning marine debris reduction program and contribute to the Australian Marine Debris Initiative citizen-science project. Students will enjoy the thrill of getting muddy and the satisfaction of filling up a barge full of rubbish.  

Students and trip leaders take to the mangroves by boat, collecting rubbish that has come to shore with the tide, or illegally dumped. The trip is a great opportunity for participants to see parts of the Hunter that are sometimes hidden, inaccessible by road.  

Complies with all NSW Government and Department of Education WHS requirements. All personal protective equipment (PPE) provided, including:

  • wetsuits
  • booties
  • hi-vis shirts
  • gloves
  • life jackets.
Students work in the water with a boat in the background.
Students can contribute to the Australian Marine Debris Initiative citizen-science project. 

“Our students have learnt critical skills about working together to care for our natural environment and preserve our natural resources. Thanks to this program, our students are beginning a lifelong journey towards being biodiversity warriors.” 
- Kristen Jones, teacher, St Brigid’s Primary School Raymond Terrace 

How to get involved

For printable classroom resources or to organise any of the above activities, field days or workshops for your students, please email Jane Lloyd-Jones, School Engagement Officer at jane.lloyd-jones@lls.nsw.gov.au

Find out what's happening in the Hunter

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Funding and partnerships

Hunter Local Land Services delivers this program with support from partners:

Contact Local Land Services NSW

We welcome your enquiries, feedback and comments.  Contact our team

Find your nearest LLS office

Use the search function to find information or resources from Local Land Services.

Phone:1300 795 299
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