Council snares $70,000 in environmental grants
The local environment is set to receive a helping hand thanks to a successful habitat protection and roadside restoration grant awarded to Wingecarribee Shire Council.
Council was successful in receiving almost $50,000 in funding from theNSW Environment Trust which will go towards restoring ecologically significant roadside reserves in the eastern section of the Shire.
The funding will help protect and enhance some 13.6 kilometres of roadside reserves along the Tourist Road, Moresby Hill Road and Mount Murray Roads in East Kangaloon.
The reserves adjacent to these roads have been identified as containing Endangered Ecological Communities of Southern Highlands Shale Woodland and Robertson Basalt Tall Open Forest.
The restoration works will target weed removal to prevent weed seed spread into these important vegetation communities. Other activities to be undertaken with the grant funding include the publication of an Environmental Weeds brochure and a training workshop.
Council’s application was one of 28 projects totaling $1,286,428 given the green light from a range of councils across the state.
A complete list of successful projects is available on the Local Government and Shires Associations of NSW (LGSA) website at www.lgsa.org.au/roadgrants
The funding for the roadside restoration project comes on top of a $19,960 grant Council received in January from the Federal Government’s Caring for our Country program for the removal of invasive species from the Mount Gibraltar Forest.
Works on this project will involve removing noxious and environmental weeds such as Blackberry, Ivy and Holly from 500 m² section of steep slopes by contractors experienced in rope work.
The grant submissions, management and oversight of the on-ground works and project reporting will be undertaken by Council’s Environmental Levy staff.
The $69,950 in grant funding approved for these projects was made possible through the leveraging value of the Environment Levy which was crucial in securing this funding.
For more information contact Wingecarribee Shire Council’s Natural Resource Project Coordinator on phone 4868 0748.