The solution

The Australian Conservation Foundation runs a Wild at Art competition annually to raise awareness of endangered native flora and fauna. It offered an opportunity for Weddin Landcare to teach school children about our local endangered species and have fun creating art that could make a difference. The competition also included a written component, which allowed the kids to reflect further on their chosen threatened species. 

Weddin Landcare presented on the key species in the Weddin Shire facing extinction before the children were given a Threatened Species of the Central West guidebook to select a plant or animal from. These books are a Local Land Services resource and provided all the information needed to write their entry. Local artist, Kathleen McCue, was engaged to teach the children art techniques and guided them through their artworks. 

To increase community engagement, Weddin Landcare teamed up with Weddin Community Native Nursery for their Threatened Species Day event to showcase the artworks and had guest speakers from Egg Picnic select the winners. The winning artworks were then on display in the main street for the following month. 

To keep the endangered species front of mind, a calendar of the winning artworks was developed with a small grant from Central West Local Land Services. The calendar had a photo of the artwork, a photo of the plant or animal plus information on the endangered species including instructions on how to prevent extinction.