Greening Wentworth
Greening Wentworth
Murray Darling Junction Landcare and Wentworth Public School unite to green Wentworth.
Local Links - Stronger Communities -
LLCI023-012
The issue
The Murray Darling Junction Landcare Group recently reformed and had been waiting for months for a Management Plan to be approved before they were able to work on the area they wished to restore. The group were in need of a project that would motivate members, keeping them moving forward and looking for future habitat restoration projects around Thegoa Lagoon. The group had also recently lost many members and so needed a project that would draw the attention of local media so that they would get an increase in community interest and an increase in group membership.
The solution
The group were assisted by their Regional Landcare Facilitator and Local Landcare Coordinator to design and implement the Greening Wentworth Project, funded by the National Landcare Program. The project involved the Landcare Group and Wentworth Public School planting native vegetation along the Silver City Highway heading out of Wentworth towards Broken Hill. The holes were dug by the Wentworth Shire Council and on the 12th of September 2016 over 40 kids from years 5 and 6 attended the event and planted over 100 natives. Once all the work was done everyone involved were able to relax with a BBQ which was a perfect end to the day.
A media release was written up and sent out to all local media contacts by the Local Landcare Coordinator. Each media outlet was contacted by the Coordinator and invited to attend the event.
The impact
The project was a great success in many ways. The kids were able to learn how to plant trees and also learnt about the environmental benefits of planting native vegetation. The Landcare group became more motivated and excited to continue their Landcare work.
The roadside plantings themselves provide a variety of community and environmental benefits. The newly vegetated area looks great and provides a sense of pride to the children that were involved and to the community. The revegetation area provides a vegetation corridor along a previously sparsely planted area that adjoins Thegoa Lagoon Reserve.
Key facts
- Murray Darling Junction Landcare Group partnered with Wentworth Public School to see over 40 kids from grades 5 & 6 plants over 100 trees.
- Murray Darling Junction Landcares project combined with media provided a great way to increase the groups motivation and public profile.