NEW GREEN ARMY PROJECTS FOR LYONS

FEDERAL Lyons MP Eric Hutchinson is pleased to announce the successful Green Army projects in Lyons from round two of the Federal Government initiative.

“I’m pleased to announce that Break O’Day Council and Greening Australia will be hosting four Green Army projects in Lyons in the next two years,’’ Mr Hutchinson said.

The Lyons electorate will also be involved with another three Green Army projects with the Denison and Franklin electorates, hosted by NRM South and rolled out by Conservation Volunteers Australia over the next three years.

“The Green Army provides opportunities for young Australians, aged 17 to 24 years to gain training and experience in environmental and conservation fields and explore careers in conservation management while taking part in projects that generate real benefits for the Australian environment,’’ Mr Hutchinson said.

Green Army projects to be rolled out over the next two years in the Lyons electorate include:

• Threatened habitat protection and resilience building in the Break O’Day municipality – project one: in 2014-15, aims to improve the integrity of the important native vegetation of Break O’Day including along its coastline, waterways and heathland, wetland, coastal woodland and inland forest habitats. Activities will enhance aquatic systems such as Georges Bay and Henderson Lagoon and protect beaches used by the hooded plover and other important migratory and shore birds.
• Threatened habitat protection and resilience building in the Break O’Day municipality – project two: in 2015-16 activities will enhance aquatic systems such as Georges Bay, Jocks Lagoon, a RAMSAR site and project beaches used by important migratory and shore birds.
• Threatened habitat protection and resilience building for Break O’Day municipality – project three: in 2015-16 aims to improve the integrity of important native vegetation habits in the municipality including building up habitat corridors across farmland in the Fingal Valley and enhancing aquatic systems such as Georges Bay and Templestowe Lagoon and protecting beaches used by important migratory and shore birds.
• Restoration and revegetation at key Northern Midland and Mt Nelson sites – the Green Army will work on a landscape scale conservation program in the state’s Northern Midlands on a special project at Greening Australia’s community nursery and bushland management on a University of Tasmania reserve, helping revegetate 250ha and enhancing 800ha remnant vegetation.

The shared projects across Lyons, Denison and Franklin electorates will include working in Southern Tasmania to protect and conserve species and places through revegetation, regeneration and fencing activities.

Each of the individual projects receives $192,000 to run the projects over the prescribed length of time and have applied successfully for extra, small grants between $750 and $10,000 for specific project materials.

A full list of approved round two projects is available at www.environment.gov.au/green-army

Applications are now also open for community organisations, environment groups and local councils in the Lyons electorate to apply for new projects from Round Three of the Green Army, Mr Hutchinson said.

“Green Army project activities could involve restoring and protecting native habitat, weeding, revegetation, cleaning up waterways, creeks and rivers, fencing, gully remediation, preventing erosion, protecting and conserving heritage places and values, monitoring and surveying on indigenous and non-indigenous lands,’’ he said.

Applications for Round Three Green Army projects are open until March 17.

Further information, project guidelines and the application form are available at www.environment.gov.au/green-army.

Young Australians interested in joining the Green Army can apply through the appointed service providers for each state and territory. Contact details for service providers are available from www.environment.gov.au/land/green-army/service-providers
FEDERAL Lyons MP Eric Hutchinson