Central Tablelands Landcare Inc

FROM LITTLE THINGS, BIG THINGS GROW.

PLAYING THE LONG GAME. Protecting the future of Landcare by working with the grown ups of the future.

Community Participation - LEP23-035-CTLL-01

The issue

The challenge - to maintain Landcare grassroots effectiveness in the face of an ageing volunteer base. Some of our on-ground planting events are taking our key volunteers a little longer to complete. The spirit to save the environment is strong but sometimes volunteers may be unable to dig and bend and get up quickly and easily. We want to include a variety of volunteer age groups. 

The solution

Working with Blayney Public School.

This allows the students to learn about the environment and the importance of biodiversity. Teaching the students to plant trees on common land in their community has given them a connection with that individual tree.

They will return to water it while the tree is establishing itself and they will monitor it’s progress.

This tree planting was assisted by Blayney Regional Council who helped the studentsdig the holes and  plant their trees. Thus, starting a relationship between the school and the council which will continue into the future.

The impact

It is important to bring members of the community together, hold family-friendly events that don't always involve volunteers 'working' but having fun and enjoying family time. We have a little known koala population in our area which LLS has been monitoring. We held a community gathering where we invited community groups to showcase their involvement in protecting koalas. We had over 80 people attend and the most enthusiastic were the children. We had face painting, colouring-in and indigenous crafts. We also had Groot the koala scat sniffing dog demonstrating his talents.  

              

Learnings

TOGETHER WE CAN. 

Working as a community is how the future generations will learn to respect the enmvironment and the imprtance of wortking togerther.

Author: Geraldine Brown

Key facts

  • Collaboration. Working symbiotically with groups to achieve a common goal of protecting the environment and increasing biodiversity at an urban and rural level.
  • Education.To never lose sight of our common puropose and to bask in the enthusiam and wonderment of a group of Stage 1 primary school students as they raced each other to plant 120 tubestock.
  • Warm fuzzies.Watching the joy on their faces and their wrapt attention as we spoke with them, is an enduring reminder of the longevity of Landcare.

Project Partners