To commemorate World Environment Day on June 5, many of our Board Directors attended the free exhibition Trees: A Canopy Extraordinaire as seen in the photo below. This year’s World Environment Day focused on land restoration which is an apt theme for our ongoing mission and work. The exhibition has been so popular that we have just received news it has now extended to September – details below.
In exciting news, we are announcing three new project grants that have been awarded along with external recognition for one of our funded partners.
Read on to learn more about the committed organisations, individuals and communities working to achieve environmental change.
National Tree Day!
It’s not often that we get to have a day all about us but Sunday 28 July is dedicated to the trees. National Tree Day is Australia’s largest tree planting and nature care event. It’s a day for all Australians to get involved in local tree planting and connect with their community. Find your local tree planting event below and enjoy getting your hands dirty with fellow green thumbs!
Trees: A Canopy Extraordinaire - free exhibition EXTENDED!
We are thrilled to announce that, due to popular demand, Trees: A Canopy Extraordinaire exhibition has been extended until Friday 27 September. The exhibition provides an opportunity to understand how we can sustain the tree canopy for future generations. This extension provides an opportunity to further engage with school and community groups who regularly visit Heritage Hill where the exhibition is housed.
It is located at Benga, Heritage Hill Museum and Historic Gardens, 66 McCrae St, Dandenong VIC 3175. The exhibition continues to be open on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday between 10am – 2pm. Entry is free. NRCT has provided native plants for all visitors to the exhibition to take home whilst stocks last.
The exhibition displays artwork and items from the Council’s Civic and Cultural Heritage Collection, displayed alongside local historical society collections, and items from NRCL archives that recognise 80 years since the original Save The Forests campaign that ultimately led to the creation of NRCL.
Meet your Bushland Project update
The Meet Your Bushland Project is now completed and we were impressed with the comprehensive project summary in the acquittal report which exceeded the project objectives. We provided a $20,000 grant to the Mornington Peninsula Landcare Network for this community-driven conservation initiative alongside the delivery partner, Western Port Biosphere Foundation. Notably, 26 properties participated and $42,500 of additional funding was attracted to this $20,000 Trust project.
The project aimed to empower and engage landholders to steward their bushland through an understanding of the existing biodiversity assets on their own land and identifying areas for weed control, fencing and revegetation. Well done to all involved in the successful delivery of this important project.
STOP PRESS! Mornington Peninsula Landcare win!
Congratulations to the Mornington Peninsula Landcare Network, which has been named the Victorian winner of the Landcare and Environmental Volunteer Network Award. The 2023-2024 Australian Landcare Awards ceremony was held last Thursday July 18th.
Two NRCT and NRCL funded programs – Linking the Mornington Peninsula Landscape and the Meet Your Bushland were specifically mentioned for their innovation and on the ground accomplishments. It is a win also for the dedicated volunteers that form the backbone of the network.
We congratulate Mornington Peninsula Landcare Network on this worthy recognition!
WELA 2024 National Leadership Program Course scholarship announcement
We are happy to share the news that two remarkable women have been selected to undertake the WELA Women in Environmental Leadership 2024 course, supported by NRCT with 50 per cent scholarships.
The scholarship recipients are Hari Bahuguna and Remy Shergill.
Hari is a policy officer at Department of Transport and Planning. She has previously been awarded the Mike Hill Sustainability Fellowship, Merri-bek City Council.
Hari says “My commitment to addressing climate and environmental challenges goes beyond professional obligations; it’s a deeply rooted passion stemming from my upbringing in the central Himalayas of India. Having witnessed firsthand the adverse impacts of climate change on vulnerable communities, my journey is a personal odyssey to build resilience and empower those affected.”
Remy is Community Engagement Manager, Net Zero 2030 at Glen Eira City Council.
Remy says “My role will be to roll out community engagement with our strategy goals linked with biodiversity, conservation and land use, and to include a Sustainability Champions program and multiple community events.”
WELA exists to empower women’s leadership with development programs to build skills, confidence and networks. It supports women to come together in its growing community to provide guidance and networks, and to open doors to new opportunities.
We look forward to sharing future stories and updates on these worthy recipients.
Announcement: Three new grants awarded
On Wednesday 17 July, we announced three new Trust grant recipients.
The recipients are:
- Euroa Arboretum
- Southwest Environmental Alliance
- Wildlife Unlimited
Read on for more information about the funded projects.
$165,000 was awarded over two years to the Euroa Arboretum for stage 1 at Avenel of their Growing Native Seed Orchard Strategy. This forms part of the $370,000 project “Growing Climate Adapted Seed for the Goulburn Broken Catchment”.
The Goulburn Broken Indigenous Seedbank – Growing seed strategy aims to supply climate adapted, genetically diverse seed for large scale restoration goals.
The Trust’s stage 1 investment is part of a long term strategy developed by Euroa Arboretum that aims to:
- Establish 20 hectares of new seed production areas across 3 sites.
- Build a new seedbank facility at Euroa Arboretum to increase efficiencies and storage.
- Upgrade existing intensive seed production facilities at Euroa Arboretum.
$31,870 was awarded to the Southwest Environmental Alliance (SEA) for their $49,870 Climate Change Challenges in South West Victoria Forum and associated activities.
SEA is a community of people who are working together to contribute to a sustainable, healthy, diverse environment for Portland and its surrounding districts.
$50,000 was awarded to Wildlife Unlimited as part of a $100,000 silver star level project to their Helping Hands for the Sheoak initiative.
This tree planting project is a collaborative, multi-partner project supported by the Trust that will build on and expand Sheoak recovery works in East Gippsland and with long term aims to provide a foundation for expansion across Victoria and NSW.
Plantings of Black Sheoaks were undertaken by partners on private land after the devastating Black Summer Bushfires in order to replace the lost key feed tree for the Glossy Black Cockatoo populations.
