Their Work Makes Our World A Far Nicer Place

Newcastle Herald

Saturday April 23, 2005

THE winner of the Community Division of the Newcastle and Hunter Environmental Achievement Awards the Kooragang Wetland Rehabilitation Project was initiated in 1993.

The project aims to restore fisheries and wildlife habitat in the Hunter River estuary.

The organisation has a strong focus on landcare, community education and research.

Volunteers planted their 120,000th tree in February this year.

Landcare activities link and expand existing remnant bushland to form corridors for plant distribution and wildlife movement on the island.

Education activities include media promotion, interpretive signage, educational displays, fact sheets, training workshops and guided tours.

A comprehensive research program monitors the success of different project methods to guide future estuarine rehabilitation.

The Anglican Diocese of Newcastle Environmental Commission won the Community Education Award.

The commission was formed in response to a global Anglican conference which recognised that "our attitude to God's creation and the environment is becoming the most important responsibility facing humankind".

The commission includes representatives from the entire diocese, an area bounded by Taree, Scone and Woy Woy.

Its primary objective is to encourage and inspire one another to become aware of issues affecting our environment and to take responsibility, both spiritually and practically, for actions to create a sustainable future.

Practical achievements include distributing several thousand calico shopping bags to parishioners, promoting the energy and water conservation refit kit, informing parishioners on environmental issues through newsletters and hosting Environmental Reflection Days and Environmental Sunday to coincide with World Environment Day.

Dungog Community Garden was highly recommended in this category.

Chris McLean has been named Environmental Champion.

He has been contributing to Landcare efforts since the age of 10.

Mr McLean became a regular volunteer at the Wetlands Centre Australia at 13.

In 2001, when he was in year 10, he initiated the Toronto High School Landcare Group.

Through his efforts the group won the Australian round of the Volvo Young Environmentalist Award and travelled to Sweden to compete in the international award.

Mr McLean is now in the second year of an environmental science degree.

He continues to co-ordinate Toronto High School Landcare and is managing a grant for the revegetation of former parkland with 4000 tubestock.

In 2004 he became chairman of Lake Macquarie Landcare, a role that assists overseeing 175 Landcare groups.

Also in 2004 Mr McLean became secretary of Trees In Newcastle.

In 2003 he won the Future Leaders Young Environmentalist Award and, as a result, participated in a scientific fellowship on Kangaroo Island in South Australia.

Col Maybury was a highly commended nominee in this category.

The Landcare Award has gone to the Kurri Kurri Landcare Group, which is remediating three sites at Glen Ayre, Neath and Greta where highly acidic water discharged from coalmines is leaking into creeks and wetlands.

Volunteers recruited from retired mine workers work daily to introduce lime and flocculating agents into water trapped in sludge heaps and old mines.

The process neutralises pH and settles iron that would otherwise coat vegetation downstream.

It plays an important role in repairing contamination, preventing pollution downstream and restoring creek health.

Highly commended in this category was Floraville Public School Landcare Group.

The Green Corridor Coalition won in the Policy and Planning category.

The coalition is a grass-roots, non-political campaign by community and conservation groups to promote the establishment of biodiversity and green space corridors in the Lower Hunter.

It is calling for policy recognition, rezoning, private land acquisition and integrated management of conservation lands from Stockton to Sugarloaf.

The coalition is entirely volunteer and meets monthly.

The Wetlands Centre Australia was highly commended.