 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
February 26, 2010
TLC for Swan River
|
|
|
Perth’s Swan River has been given a boost following a $600,000 investment from the Swan Alcoa Landcare Program (SALP) today.
Community environmental groups, covering areas from Midland down to Kwinana, have received funding which will go towards projects that aim to keep the Swan and Canning rivers healthy.
Throughout the year, 35 environmental groups will undertake over 41 on-ground rehabilitation and revegetation projects, including: foreshore, wetland and bushland restoration, the building of drains for living stream projects, and the creation of bushland corridors.
Alcoa of Australia was the founding partner in the Swan Alcoa Landcare Program 12 years ago. Today the program is driven and administered by the Perth Region NRM (formerly Swan Catchment Council), and funded by Alcoa, the Swan River Trust and Lotterywest.
Alcoa Managing Director Alan Cransberg said SALP is unique because it enables change at a grass-roots level by building the capacity of several community-based landcare groups.
With Alcoa having a strong on-going employee volunteering program, Mr Cransberg said the volunteering aspect of the program continues to resonate with him.
“I have seen first hand the achievements of some of these groups and their efforts and dedication in protecting the environment, so we can all enjoy our rivers and foreshore, is truly remarkable.
“These local environmental groups simply would not exist without the volunteers – and it’s their hard work that I really admire – year in, and year out.”
The Rockingham Environment Centre will use the SALP funds for bushland recovery in the Lake Richmond area.
The Centre’s Christine Comer said: “This grant will support the restoration of lowland bushland to original native condition, and by stabilising native areas we are encouraging natural native fauna.”
“This is all part of our on-going efforts to meet our goal of returning the Lake Richmond reserve to its natural condition.
“As a not-for-profit organisation, we rely on the support of grants to actively work towards these goals on a continued basis. Support from Alcoa through programs like SALP is invaluable,” she said.
Wireless Hill Park in Booragoon suffers from introduced species which make it harder for native Australian species to thrive. The Friends of Wireless Hill focuses on maintaining the biodiversity of Wireless Hill Park and has received a grant of more than $11,000.
Margaret Matthews from The Friends of Wireless Hill said: “Hand weeding in place of chemical weed control is allowing native grasses and orchids to thrive in the areas of best-condition bushland, and we hope in time to expand the areas which are managed in this way.”
“The SALP grant will help us to build on the work already done in partnership with other community groups, including Alcoa employees who have used Alcoa’s annual Month of Service to participate in weed removal over the past two years.”
The Wandi Landcare Group and the Town of Kwinana have received SALP funds for the past three years which have gone towards the revegetation of Lake Magenup Dampland.
Town of Kwinana Mayor Carol Adams said: “The consistency of the funding has greatly benefited the group by enabling it to follow-up with weed control in both the revegetation sites and in the control of the Arum Lily which is a nominated weed of national significance.
“As a result of this weed control, in conjunction with summer watering, there has been a very good survival rate of natives planted - almost 80% survival of 2008 and 2009 plantings.
“The control of Arum Lily has also been very successful and one more year of spraying is certain to get this weed under control.
“Throughout this year, our program will extend the revegetation work to the dampland area, with the planting of approximately 2,000 natives," Mayor Adams said.
Alcoa also announced today it has committed to continue funding SALP for a further three years 2011-2013.
SALP falls under Alcoa’s conservation and sustainability partnership portfolio, which also includes its 27 year national partnership with Greening Australia.
Applications are now open for the 2011 SALP funding round and are available at the Perth Region NRM website: www.perthregionnrm.com
- ENDS -
Media contacts:
Alcoa, Sarah Tempest 0404 800 417
Perth Region NRM, Erin Devlin 0438 948 866
Local community groups which have received funding in 2010 are:
North Sub Region
• Friends of North Ocean Reef (Iluka Foreshore Reserve)
• Friends of Coolbinia Bushland (Regeneration of an inner city bushland)
South Sub-Region
• Armadale Gosnells Landcare Group Inc (rehabilitation and restoration of the Upper Canning Southern Wungong Catchment)
• Friends of Mary Carroll (Revegetation, restoration and planting)
• Roleybushcare Inc (Rehabilitating remnant bushland reserves in Roleystone after dieback and weed invasion)
• South East Regional Centre of Urban Landcare (Lambertia Floodplain Watsonia Control - Canning River Regional Park, Restoration and Rehabilitation of the Swan/Canning River Foreshore, Protecting the Swan Region from Weeds of National Significance)
• Wilson Wetlands Action Group Inc (Priority weed management - Canning River Regional Park)
• Bannister Creek (Removal of threatening weeds in Bannister Creek Ferndale & Hawkesbury Lakes and Vellgrove Avenue planting and weed management 2010)
• Bungendore Park Management Committee (Revegetation, control of weeds & dieback treatment)
• Friends of Attadale Foreshore Inc (Restoration of Alfred Cove Nature Reserve and adjacent Attadale Bushland Conservation Reserve)
• Wandi Landcare Group/ Town of Kwinana (Regeneration and revegetation of Lake Magenup Dampland)
• The Canning River Regional Park Volunteers Inc (Keeping the Canning River Regional Park free of feral European honeybee colonies & restoration of Litoria Flats)
• Mt Henry Peninsula Conservation Group (Mt Henry Peninsula rehabilitation, weed control)
• The Friends of Forrestdale (Revegetating a degraded dune to the west of Forrestdale Lake)
• Friends of Wireless Hill (Hand weeding)
• Rockingham Environment Centre (Bushland recovery of Land Richmond)
North-East Sub Region
• North Swan Conservation District Committee (Revegetation and rehabilitation in the North East Sub-region)
• Ellen Brockman Integrated Catchment Group (Revegetation of degraded riparian areas of the Ellen Brook Catchment to reduce erosion, nutrient export and increase habitat)
East Sub-Region
• Jane Brook Catchment Group (Walker Street Reserve Restoration Project, Wedgetail Reserve Restoration)
• Swan View Primary School (Weed Control)
• Friends of Blue Wren Reserve (Rehabilitation of wildlife corridors to enable movement of native fauna to Avon National Park and to Restore Biodiversity)
• Friends of Boya Trail (Protection and rehabilitation of Boya Trail area)
• Helena River Catchment Group Inc (Lower Helena River Wetland Restoration Project)
• Friends of Piesse Brook Inc (Piesse Brook Restoration - Stage 9)
• Blackadder-Woodridge Catchment Group Inc (Blackadder Creek Regeneration and Revegetation Project)
• Friends of Black Cockatoo Reserve (Restoring the integrity of Black Cockatoo Reserves)
• Friends of Quenda Hollow Nature Reserve (Bugle Tree Creek Restoration Project)
• Friends of Talbot Road Reserve Inc (Talbot Road Nature Conservation Project 2010)
• EMRC (Restoration and rehabilitation of the Swan/Canning River Foreshore and associated
Tributaries)
Perth Region
• Perth Region NRM (Protection of threatened ecological communities in the Swan Region)
|
|
|
|
