Here some of the students are getting into one of the trucks that took us around to the different conservation sites on the property.

Do you see that fence? That is a fence to keep the area free of sheep and cows, so the native plants and animals can come back to live there. The Australian government is paying farmers for the cost of fences to set aside land like this to help preserve native species. In Myponga this was the first year of the project, and the scientists wanted to see what animals and plants already lived at each site. Each year in the future they will come back again to see if the native species are returning or not.

Walking up to the trap area.

Here is a bucket trap. Going over the bucket is a little mesh fence. The little lizards and other animals and bugs run along the fence and fall into the bucket, where they can't get out. Then the scientists can look at them and count them and set them free.

This is a metal trap with a door at the end. Inside the scientist (Duncan in this picture) puts bait made of peanut butter and oats, and the little animals come in to eat it and the door closes behind them.

Then he dumps the animal into a bag and weighs it using his little portable hanging scale (he wouldn't let the kids play with it because it was easily broken).

He found a couple of different kinds of wild rats and also regular house rats.

Then he recorded all the information on his charts.