Monday, August 24, 2009
MEDIA RELEASE Big thanks to local government and students as Cradle Coast NRM Schools Project winds up Cradle Coast NRM’s “Schools Caring for Our Coast” Community Coastcare project, will wind up soon with a series of final rehabilitation workshop sessions, and thank-you events for local government and school supporters. One such workshop will be held at Button’s Beach on Thursday, September 3, where Ulverstone High School environmental students and Central Coast Council staff will plant another 100 native trees and share in a barbecue lunch. Cradle Coast NRM’s Facilitator—Team Leader, Anna Wind, said the Australian Government’s Caring for Our Country funding had supported work carried out in conjunction with four councils in the Cradle Coast region: Waratah-Wynyard, Burnie, Central Coast and Devonport. Two further councils, Latrobe and Circular Head, would be involved in similar projects in 2010. Ms Wind said during the course of the $30,000 project 1,000 students from eight Cradle Coast schools had been involved in educational and hands –on activities to rehabilitate eight coastal sites. “This is a significant number of students, who learned many new skills and were able to enjoy outdoor educational activities like rock pool rambles – they focus on how to look after intertidal rock pool creatures and to identify introduced marine pests,” Ms Wind said. The “Schools Caring for Our Coast” project targeted coastal areas that were degraded with coastal weeds, improving penguin habitat, and focused on areas with no current Coastcare groups. Ms Wind said councils received obvious benefits from the project through increased community involvement in coastal environments, but also through enhanced partnerships with schools. Schools who have participated in the project include: Table Cape Primary, West Somerset Primary, Ulverstone High School, Rosebery High School, Leighland Christian School, Maddington Child Care Services, West Ulverstone Primary, East Devonport Primary and Tasmanian Polytechnic, Burnie campus. Further information: • Cradle Coast NRM • Cradle Coast Authority Cradle Coast Authority Media: General:
www.nrmtas.org/home.shtml www.cradlecoast.com ahicks@cradlecoast.com or 0414 077356 admin@cradlecoast.com or 03 6431 6285