Rainforest Live '97 Topic Essays from Queensland, Australia Faculty and Student Topic Essays

From the week ending April 11, 1997

Nature Trails
by David Wallstrom

Nature trails are an important part of environmental education and the environmental experience. They are educational pathways or boardwalks through certain habitats that are within easy access of a roadway and usually an environmental center.

The idea of a nature trail is not to provide a wilderness experience, but to provide accessibility to the public and educational. Accessibility is achieved through a highly developed trail system or boardwalk system with maps available on site. The trails are usually not very strenuous or long so that most people can complete them. They are usually positioned close to parking and bathroom facilities. The trails are educational because they are planned around the representative flora and fauna of the area. At each point of interest along the trail, interpretive signs are placed so that visitors learn as they hike. Most nature trails are near some sort of government station (Forest or Park Service) or an environmental center. These centers usually contain further literature, maps, and pamphlets on the area as well as a knowledgeable staff that will assist visitors and sometimes give interpretive tours.

Nature trails expose and educate large portions of the public on the natural wonders that exist on public lands, so that people will realize what conservation and public lands are truly all about. People who have been educated and exposed to the world around them will be more inclined to support it through community organizations and politics.

 

An Investigation in the Distribution of Lemuroid Ringtail Possums
(Hemibelideus lemuroides)
Research Update
by Paul Buzzard, Intern

I have been working for the past semester on a project looking for lemuroid ringtail possums and other tree-living marsupials, such as tree kangaroos and brushtail possums. Since their are no monkeys in Australia, species such as these are the major consumers of tree leaves and fruit. However, because they are active at night, they rarely are seen and little is known of their distribution especially in this area. From initial reports it is believed that the number of tree-living marsupials is lower because of logging effects and that is what I want to investigate. To do this I've set up six search routes along old logging tracks through the rainforest that are about 1km or 5/8 miles long. To look for the animals I walk along these tracks shining a powerful spotlight up in the treetops. When the light beam hits a possum or tree kangaroo their eyes appear bright yellow or orange since they act as reflectors. This makes them fairly easy to spot when they are there. The biggest problem has been finding time to go out given the rainy weather and my busy schedule. I've been out a few times, though, and have seen three ringtail possums and two brushtail possums.

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