Canberrans Contribute – on the Coast

Canberra’s love of the South Coast is well documented – If you’ve ever actually spent a long weekend in this city you’ll notice it becomes somewhat of a ghost town.

But now teams of Canberra locals are using their coastal trips to make a difference to the environment while they holiday. Conservation Volunteers Australia has several upcoming projects departing from Canberra that will give people the opportunity to actively contribute to the environment in some of our capital city’s most popular holiday destinations.

From the 14^th to the 18^th of March, volunteers will spend the week engaging with local Dunecare groups to rehabilitate the foreshore and dunes along North and South Broulee Beach, removing weeds including the highly invasive Bitou Bush. These invasive weeds colonize the beaches, changing the landscape and threatening the survival of native birds like the Hooded Plover which use open sand spits as their nesting sites. The activities for this week will also play a significant role in educating the local community in the care and maintenance of their local bushland, as the project will take place on a highly visible and often visited site.

From the 21^st to the 25^th of March, another team will have the unique opportunity to camp within Nadgee Nature Reserve south of Eden, in an area not normally accessible to the public. This team will be hand removing invasive arum lilies from coastal wilderness areas within the reserve. These plants form dense thickets that choke native vegetation and prevent other trees and shrubs from regenerating, destroying the habitat of popular locals including potoroos, pygmy possums and ground parrots.

Volunteers will need to provide their own sleeping bag and sleeping mat and pay a contribution of $208 for the week which covers their accommodation – Conservation Volunteers will supply tents – all meals for the week and transport to and from Canberra.

Conservation Volunteers is a not for profit organization whose mission is “connecting people with our environment.” For more information, or if you would like to join either of these teams, contact Conservation Volunteers in the Canberra Office on 02 6247 7770 or Canberra@conservationvolunteers.com.au