We are pleased to receive funding from the Central West Local Land Services, that will assist us with expanding Eco Day in 2021. Below is the Media Release courtesy of the CWLLS. Used with permission.

Threatened species street art, culture gardens, restoration of reserves and creation of a Quandong grove are among the projects that will be carried out following the awarding of Central West Local Land Services Resilient Communities Small Grants program.

Grants were awarded to groups in Narromine, Dunedoo, Caragabal, Condobolin, Trangie, Parkes and Forbes to protect and preserve local natural resources and Aboriginal cultural heritage.

Central West Local Land Services Community Engagement Officer Brooke Kirkman said the grants were funded by Catchment Action NSW and targeted projects with a natural resource or cultural heritage focus that improve community resilience.

“Central West Local Land Services aims to build resilient, self-reliant and prepared local communities,” Ms Kirkman said.

“We are delighted to see the range of activities the community groups have planned.”

Students of Caragabal Public School are researching threatened bird species with students presenting different species to classmates and selecting one species to feature in a street art creation.

Trangie Central School students are creating a Quandong Grove as a live educational resource to help current and future students learn more about the tree and its traditional cultural uses as a meat substitute, as well as medicinal and ceremonial values.

Central West Lachlan Landcare will hold an Eco Day for students from Parkes and Forbes involving workshops that empower students to make changes in their own space, having a focus on recycling and worm farms, native species and planting, native animals, farm production and the livestock exchange process, weeds and protection of native vegetation.

Dunedoo Landcare will bring together Indigenous leaders and the local community to share history, cultural learning, food and local knowledge to develop a plan to restore the Dunedoo Riverside Reserve. A community day will be held to engage the local community and stakeholders including neighbouring landholders, Council, Landcare volunteers and schools in the project

Condobolin and Districts Landcare will undertake a range of activities including purchasing cameras, nest boxes, seedlings and cat traps to help to save the Brush-tailed phascogale which has been found in the area.

The Narromine Local Aboriginal Land Council will create an Aboriginal culture garden and walking trail to enhance culture experience and knowledge through artefacts, trees and art at the Keeping Place. This teaching resource will be used by schools and the wider community and will have information about traditional plants used as food sources and medicines. TAFE Western, Catholic Care and the Narromine Men’s Shed will be involved in the project.

Projects were originally scheduled to be completed by June 2020 however have been granted extensions due to the current COVID-19 pandemic.

2020 Landcare Week runs from August 3-9 https://landcareaustralia.org.au/landcareweek2020/.