A team of young volunteers will assist drought-affected landholders and seek to improve the vegetation in the Paiwalla Wetlands area near Murray Bridge under an exciting new Green Corps project being launched by leading community services group Mission Australia.

Mission Australia State Director Mark Herselman said the 26-week project, being run in partnership with the Mannum to Wellington Local Action Planning Committee, will not only assist the local environment but provide valuable training for the 10 team members.

“As well as seeking to protect a valuable environment, the project will deliver real life training to young people and inspire them by their own capacity to make a difference to the community and environment,” Mr Herselman said.

Green Corps is an Australian Government youth development and environmental training program, administered by the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, in consultation with the Department of Environment and Heritage.

It provides young people aged from 17-20 years with the chance to volunteer their time and effort to conserve, preserve and restore Australia’s natural environment and cultural heritage. Participants receive a training allowance, uniforms, safety equipment and nationally accredited training in return for their commitment.

Mission Australia’s Paiwalla Wetlands Restoration project will involve:

• Increasing the survival rate of new plantings by providing drip irrigation
• Collecting local provenance seed to use in future revegetation works
• Providing exclusion fencing for stock
• Restoring threatened and regionally significant riparian and wetland vegetation
• Undertaking weed control activities
• Protecting remnant vegetation, fauna habitat and aquatic ecology
• Undertaking water quality monitoring
• Monitoring fauna and flora
• Identifying feral animal habitat warrens and burrows
• Educating the community

For more information, please contact: Chris Rann, Rann Communication: 08 8211 7771