Investigator College students are partnering with a sniffer dog to find and protect hidden turtle nests, as part of a pioneering school-based conservation project.

English springer spaniel Nessie will sniff her way around the College’s 10-hectare riverfront site at Currency Creek during October, showing students where to install fox deterrents, nest guards and surveillance cameras just before nesting season.

Students will then assess the effectiveness of these measures, providing useful insights to landholders and conservationists who are joining the effort to save three ageing turtle populations: the Eastern long- necked turtle, Murray short-necked turtle, and the Broad-shelled turtle.

Early trials using artificial nests with chicken eggs have already shown promising results.

“Participating Year 11 and 12 students are thrilled to be taking part in ecologically significant conservation research as part of their Certificate III in Conservation and Ecosystem Management,” says Investigator College Teacher and Currency Creek Campus Manager Nat Gilbert.

“I am not aware of anywhere else where students can work alongside conservationists and industry experts as part of a funded project with this sort of positive biodiversity impact.

“We are fortunate to have such an amazing property, which makes this VET course and projects like this possible.

To date, students have also installed basking platforms, while Conservation and Detection Dogs SA has been busy training up Nessie, whose acute sense of smell will finally level the playing field with foxes.

The project is funded by Landscape Hills and Fleurieu and the College has thanked other participants, including Ngarrindjeri Thukabi Monitoring Program, the 1 Million Turtles Project, Nature Glenelg Trust, Aquasave, Adelaide University, Yarluwar-Ruwe Project, Ngarrindjeri Aboriginal Corporation, Strathalbyn Field Naturalists and Barron Environmental.

Nessy will be helping students find turtle nests and fox dens.