G’day from Melbourne, Australia! My path to an Environmental Science degree at Antioch has led me on an incredible journey to “the land down under”, where I’m currently participating in a co-op with Practical Ecology with my roommate and host, former Antioch College alumni Lincoln Kern (Class of 1986). This has been a transformative experience that has pushed me to grow both personally and professionally. I’ve loved getting to explore what it means to make a positive ecological impact on the world around me.
Melbourne is such a special city, and I’m excited to talk more about my experience down here in “Oz”!
Settling into Life in Melbourne~
My card-playing friend group
The past three months in Australia have been an absolute whirlwind of cultural and ecological highlights. When I first arrived in Melbourne, I was amazed at the quality of the people here. I’ve been met with so much kindness and openness from everyone around me. My first few weeks had a period of settling into a different culture entirely, and there were some difficult periods and some truly wonderful experiences.
Mount Hotham, with Lincoln Kern
One particular favorite experience was being invited along to experience the snow-covered beauty of a snowgum forest at Mount Hotham during the Australian Backcountry Festival. I really enjoyed seeing a side of Australia not commonly portrayed in the media- one with mountainous terrain and snow-covered peaks.
Fitzroy Island, Northern Queensland
This was a sharp contrast to the following week spent visiting the warmer, more tropical climate of Northern Queensland. In the lovely little city of Cairns, I experienced the Great Barrier Reef via snorkeling, hiking in Fitzroy Island, and the misty peaks of the Daintree Rainforest. It was beautiful experience I’ll never forget.
Melbourne City Skyline
In a more cultural setting, I’ve also been immersing myself in the rich artistic heritage of the National Gallery Victoria and the Potter Museum of Art’s “65,000 years” exhibition on Aboriginal artwork, I’ve already seen so much. I joke with locals that I’m basically a Melbourne native, having picked a proper “footy” team (the local sport, Australian football) and have even acquired a quintessential black puffer jacket that’s perfect for the fickle weather conditions! On a more serious note, I’ve been intentional about staying connected with friends and family back home, which has been incredibly important.
Practical Ecology: My Role in Conservation~
Watering plants on a site
My co-op organization, Practical Ecology (https://www.practicalecology.com.au/) is dedicated to environmental restoration and conservation work. Their impactful mission guides everything we do:
Mission Statement-
-To provide services to survey, assess, manage, enhance and/or recreate indigenous vegetation and habitats to conserve indigenous biodiversity.
-To combine planning and implementation services that allows us to fulfil the needs of managing indigenous flora and fauna and bushfire risk during all stages of land management and planning – from planning and design stages to ecological restoration implementation.
Practical Ecology operates by prioritizing “The Three R’s” of ecological restoration: Retention/Reservation, Restoration, and Revegetation. Retaining remnant vegetation is always the highest priority because, as the company philosophy notes, it is “the least expensive and most effective way of preserving indigenous flora and fauna in their habitats.” Understanding this tiered approach to conservation provides critical context for my work.
Fieldwork site
My day-to-day responsibilities are diverse and impactful. I’m often found planting native flora in parks and meticulously weeding out non-native vegetation, as well as visiting different sites to assess restoration needs. It brings me joy to plant these little guys and think about the positive impact they’ll have as they grow. I’m also becoming much more proficient at identifying indigenous flora and improving my weed identification skills.
Beyond the fieldwork, I’ve been working on a crucial project to organize and digitize the company’s extensive library of field data and project records. This variety of work has given me a more holistic understanding of how an environmental consulting firm operates – from physical labor to strategic planning.
Reflection on Educational Goals and Purpose~
This co-op experience, for me, has become a journey of self-discovery.
Contemplation atop the Daintree rainforest
My initial goals were focused on exploring a new environment, identifying local species, and preparing for a senior project. While I’ve been actively pursuing all of these, the most significant outcome has been a personal realization about my future career path.
My time here is confirming that my passion lies in fields with a stronger social and human element. While I love making an impact on flora and fauna, I’ve realized I need a job with more of a social component and elements of human complexity. I love teaching, and I’m interested in a career where I can have a meaningful impact on society in that way.
This co-op is serving as a critical step in refining my professional aspirations and helping me understand what I truly value in a career.
Cheers!
-Heather
