Snail celebration
By Gabrielle Anderson

A slime-making session and snail-shaped cupcakes delighted the primary school audience at the launch of the Mitchell's Rainforest Snail Education Kit.

Having fun at the launch are (clockwise from left) Martin Corbin (ABC), Michael Murphy (NPWS), Paul Bryant (Principal Lennox Head Public School), and pupils Leroy Sharp, Emma Lohman, Justin Sommerville and Jackson Sommerville. Photo DEC

Aimed at children, the unusual kit provides a wealth of information about this endangered native snail in the form of quizzes, games, and novel activities. The September launch took place at Lennox Head Primary School on the far Northern Coast of New South Wales, with the cupcakes supplied by the local bakery.

The education kit was developed by New South Wales Parks and Wildlife Service staff Michael Murphy, a threatened species officer, Kerry Cooper, interpretation officer, and Katrina McKay, publications officer. (The service now falls under the new Department of Environment and Conservation.) The kit aims to promote invertebrate conservation in general as well as the importance of preserving the remaining urban habitats of Mitchell's Rainforest Snail.

During the launch, Michael Murphy and Kerry Cooper ran through some of the kit's activities with the pupils. These included following a borax and glue recipe for making 'magic snail slime'.

The star of the kit: Mitch the Mitchell's Rainforest Snail by illustrator Kerry Cooper, DEC

The Mitchell's Rainforest Snail Kit was funded with $5,000 raised by the Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife during its 1999/2000 Endangered Species Appeal. The yellow and brown striped snail, with its distinctive triangular shell, was the first invertebrate to be the subject of a Foundation appeal. One of six species listed in the appeal, it was allocated a sixth of the $30,000 funding raised.

It is a little known fact that 99% of our native animals are invertebrates, such as snails, beetles and worms. The Mitchell's Rainforest Snail is just one of a multitude of small creatures that contribute to our natural ecosystems. Community awareness and involvement were identified as an important part of the recovery plan for this native invertebrate. Not much is known about its ecology. It used to be common in rainforests and swampy parts of northern coastal lowlands, but over the years its habitat has been decimated by land clearing and farming.

The endangered snail is now largely restricted to small areas of remnant habitat scattered around the Tweed, Byron and Ballina Shires. A significant population of the invertebrate can still be found on the Stotts Island Nature Reserve on the Tweed River.

According to Michael Murphy, there was strong and very positive local media coverage of the launch. Since then, 400 copies of the kit have been printed and 350 of these have been distributed to primary school teachers.

Michael Murphy says that there has been good teacher feedback and a number of additional inquiries about acquiring the kit.

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