Outstanding regional Citizen Scientists announced
Brian Teakle from the Murraylands and Graham Frahn from the Riverland were recently announced as recipients of the 2021 Murraylands and Riverland Landscape Board Citizen Science Awards for Outstanding Achievement.
Posted 20 September 2021.
The Murraylands and Riverland Landscape Board Citizen Science Project Officer, Dr Sylvia Clarke said these awards recognise the significant contribution Mr Teakle and Mr Frahn have made to the management and conservation of their local environment.
Mr Teakle was a member of the Murray Mallee Local Action Planning (LAP) Committee and is involved in many projects.
Using many different trials, Mr Teakle has experimented with increasing agricultural production in line with biodiversity and landscape health.
His trials looked at including native species into farming systems, applying biochar, regenerative farming, trialling native food production, increasing native wildlife habitat, agroforestry, summer multispecies cropping, and the list goes on.
Mr Teakle has supported the Mid Murray Landcare and the South Australian Museum’s western pygmy possum project and was involved in the MEGA Murray-Darling Microbat Project, surveying bat species on his property. He is a regular volunteer on malleefowl grid monitoring as part of the national monitoring program.
Mr Frahn has been managing Australian Landscape Trust’s Taylorville Station as a volunteer since 2003. He has been monitoring malleefowl grids in this area since before 2006, making him one of the region’s longest-serving malleefowl monitoring volunteers.
For many years Mr Frahn has been involved in small vertebrate pitfall trap surveys, firstly as a participant and since 2009 as the survey coordinator managing other volunteers. The data collected from these surveys are currently being studied, looking for evidence of changes over time.
Mr Frahn noticed that the pygmy possums regularly caught in the pitfall traps weren’t showing up anymore and wondered why. So he joined the western pygmy possum citizen science project to find out more. He has installed nest boxes to monitor pygmy possums and visits landholders around Taylorville, Calperum, and Berri to check nesting boxes and datasheets.
He also helps Calperum Station with its educational training programs for school and international students. Mr Frahn was recognised for more than 3000 hours of volunteer service to Calperum Station many years ago. They might have stopped counting after that!
These Citizen Science Awards are presented annually to individuals or groups who have demonstrated outstanding achievement, particularly through the contribution of data essential to the region.
Anyone interested in getting involved can contact the Murraylands and Riverland Landscape office in Murray Bridge on 08 8532 9100 or Berri 08 8580 1800.
The Citizen Science program is supported by the Murraylands and Riverland Landscape Board through funding from the landscape levies.
