POBBLEBONK
- PANEL 10
BAT BOX PROJECT AT THE ORGAN PIPES NATIONAL PARK
Since November 1994 a group of volunteers, led by Natasha Schedvin, has
monitored monthly a set of roost boxes for bats in the valley of Jackson’s
Creek along the Maribyrnong River at the Organ Pipes National Park. The
group started with 10 boxes which has risen to 40 and in that time have
registered 7,500 bat captures of six species being recorded. The majority
being Gould’s Wattled Bats. The bats have now been through 10 breeding
seasons with the basic population growing from 35 in 1994-5 to over 200
now. The many people who have joined the project are learning much about
the lives of bats which make up the majority of mammal species in Australia.
The people seen here in the background of this picture are capturing the micro bats nesting in this particular bat box. Every month the bats in every bat box are captured, identified, counted, monitored, weighed and then released after dark.
Images of each of the animals in this exhibition are available to purchase in a high resolution format. All enquiries should be directed to admin@livingmuseum.org.au or by telephone on +613 9318 3544.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Peter Haffenden, Melbourne’s Living Museum of the West
concept and production
Kevin Wood, Ecowise Consultants
research and text
Kerrie Poliness, Melbourne’s Living Museum of the West
photography, exhibition design, reasearch and digital
construction
The
following organizations and individuals have contributed to the material
in this exhibition through input with research, text, images, finding
and naming animals and other activities.
Joan Clark, Zoology Dept, Melbourne University
electron microscopy
Denise and Katherine, Ecowise Consultants
mud analysis and microscope work
Paul Paton, Victorian Aboriginal Corporation for Languages
Aboriginal names
Karen Jackson, Moondani Balluk, Victoria University
Aboriginal names
Rhys Coleman, Melbourne Water
frog distribution
Dr Greg Parry, MAFRI
marine organisms
Dr Chris Walsh, Monash Uni/CRC FE (Ph. 9905 4091)
freshwater shrimp, estuarine ecology
Dr Richard Marchant, Museum of Victoria
estuarine ecology
Dr Gary Poore, Museum of Victoria
marine ecology
Lindy Lumsden, Arthur Rylah Institute, DSE
bats
Andy Stephens, EPA
estuarine ecology
Leon Metzling, EPA
estuarine ecology
Graham Rooney, Melbourne Water
Assoc. Professor Geoffrey Wescott
Deakin University
Michael Patti, local researcher
finding and identifying fish species
Natasha Schedvin, Friends of the Organ Pipes
finding and identifying bats
Robert Bender, Friends of the Organ Pipes
bat text
Janine Hill, Melbourne’s Living Museum of the West
title development
Gavin Somerville, Melbourne’s Living Museum of the West
finding and identifying animals in Pipemakers Park
Brett Hosie, Melbourne’s Living Museum of the West
finding and identifying animals in Pipemakers Park
Libby McKinnon, Melbourne’s Living Museum of the West
wetlands photography
Warwick Somerville, Maribyrnong River Cruises
seal photography
Tamara Wright
crab photography
Kate Pahlow, Werribee Zoo Education Centre
frog information
Kwai Chang-Kum, Werribee Zoo
photographer for the Pobblebonk Frog and the Growling Grass Frog
Pol McMahon, local artist and environmentalist
identifying plant species
David Tran, D & K Live Seafoods, Footscray
assisting with eel photography
The picture of the indigenous river rat has been supplied by the Melbourne
Aquarium
Peter Somerville, Maribyrnong River Cruises
Ian Hunter, elder of the Wurundjeri peopleCarol Briggs, elder of the Bunurong
people.
Organisations:
EPA Victoria
Gould LeagueMelbourne Aquarium
Healesville Sanctuary
Melbourne Zoo
Werribee Zoo
CSIRO
Ecowise Consultants
Museum of VictoriaAustralia MuseumDepartment of Primary Industries, VictoriaProduced
by Melbourne's Living Museum of the West, 2005
