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2 February, 2023

Moonambel frog sounds help track local ecosystem

Since making the move from the city to Moonambel, Kevin and Aileen Van Staveren have come to appreciate the importance of the little things in life, including frogs, which have made the couples 40-acre property home. Retiring from their jobs in...

By Riley Upton

Moonambel’s Kevin Van Staveren recently became a citizen scientist after recording the sounds of frogs through the Australian Museum’s FrogID software, helping identify a number of local species. Not a frog enthusiast by any measure, Kevin and his wife Aileen have unearthed a newfound passion for wildlife since relocating from Melbourne several years ago. Photo: 030223 12
Moonambel’s Kevin Van Staveren recently became a citizen scientist after recording the sounds of frogs through the Australian Museum’s FrogID software, helping identify a number of local species. Not a frog enthusiast by any measure, Kevin and his wife Aileen have unearthed a newfound passion for wildlife since relocating from Melbourne several years ago. Photo: 030223 12

Since making the move from the city to Moonambel, Kevin and Aileen Van Staveren have come to appreciate the importance of the little things in life, including frogs, which have made the couples 40-acre property home.

Retiring from their jobs in Melbourne and making the move to Moonambel just a few short years ago, the couple have developed a newfound appreciation for the natural world around them.

Bordered by national park, their property is constantly alive with wildlife of all shapes and sizes, with frogs being the most recent inclusion.

“The noise these frogs made was just unbelievable, you’d think there were hundreds of them with the sound they were producing,” Kevin said.

Kevin utilised the Australian Museum’s FrogID app to record the frog calls, with the museum able to then identify species which helps highlight population numbers as a measure of ecosystem health.

Over 500,000 frog calls have been submitted through the app, with some 800,000 frogs verified and 213 species found and Kevin said the museum were grateful for his contribution.

A healthy ecosystem is something that’s become very important to the Van Staverens, who’s house is entirely off-grid and garden spaces have been designed to provide refuge to the native wildlife, particularly birds.

“After many years in Melbourne we were looking for a weekender where we could just have a bush block for fun,” Kevin said.

“We wanted something that was out of the way but not too far away and this place ticked all the boxes.

“Things changed for us in terms of work and health circumstances in Melbourne and we started coming to Moonambel more often.

“We built our house on the block and were able to retire and move here. We just fell in love with the place.

“We found very quickly that we wanted our piece of Australia to have integrity and we’ve really become conservationists since our relocation from the city.”

A retired police officer of 35 years and a practice manager across physiotherapy and optometry, Kevin and Aileen say the country lifestyle has suited them.

“Moonambel is a beautiful place, it’s not too far out of the way and you can do, say and be what you want and live here uninhibited,” Aileen said.

“When we had the house built we just wanted something simple and basic — we’ve been able to de-clutter and simplify our lives in a lot of ways.”

The pair have experienced their fair share of ups and downs when it comes to health, with Kevin battling cancer for a number of years which saw him undergo eight thoracotomies and have his left arm amputated.

“The fifth time my cancer came back the doctors told me it was inoperable because it was on or next to the heart,” he said.

“I had the most awkward conversation I’ve ever had in my life about how I die and three days later the greatest thoracic surgeon in the world (Gavin Wright) turned around and said ‘nah, I can fix that’.

“With all our trials and tribulations and through the valley of life we’ve travelled to get to where we are now on the other side of it all, the view looking back at it all from this property is really nice.”

For more information on the Australian Museum’s FrogID project, head to www.frogid.net.au and to download the app, head to the App Store or Google Play.

Kevin and Aileen Van Staveren are proud to have contributed to the Australian Museum’s FrogID program. Photo: 030223 19
Kevin and Aileen Van Staveren are proud to have contributed to the Australian Museum’s FrogID program. Photo: 030223 19
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