Landcare Week 2011 – Landcare Volunteer of the day – Arminel Ryan from Cooleman Ridge Parkcare Group

Volunteer of the Day – Arminel Ryan (Cooleman Ridge Parkcare Group) from ACT

Arminel Ryan is the Coordinator of the Cooleman Ridge Parkcare Group, and has now been working on the Ridge for six years.

Gosta Lynga, Arminel Ryan, Linda Spinaze and Doug Tinney – Winners of the Quiet Achievers Landcare Award, 2009

Arminel’s love affair with nature began as a gardener, and it wasn’t until a trip to Wittenoom in 1999 that she developed a keen interest for Australia’s native vegetation. After she had been retired for a few years, a friend approached Arminel and invited her to attend a ParkCare Activity on Cooleman Ridge Nature Reserve.

At first, she wondered if the work they were doing was making a difference. It wasn’t until Arminel went on holiday and returned to the Ridge to see how the areas she had weeded had regenerated in her absence, that she realised yes, it did make a difference. Arminel could also notice a difference in her ability to identify native plants when she did go on holiday, and the native plants in her garden were no longer being mistaken for weeds and consequently yanked out of the ground. Arminel was sold on being a ParkCarer on Cooleman Ridge Nature reserve.

It is a mutually beneficial relationship that exists between Cooleman Ridge Nature Reserve and Parkcare volunteers.  The work that has been undertaken on Cooleman Ridge by the volunteers spans twenty years. The Ridge has been nursed through fire, drought, and weed incursion by a group of dedicated volunteers who have managed to make an incredible difference to the conservation and protection of their local nature reserve.

In 2009 the Cooleman Ridge ParkCare group were awarded a Landcare award in the “Quiet Achiever” category. The awards recognised and commended the group for their ongoing commitment and dedication to on ground environmental works and their contribution to building the capacity of the local community.

For more information about the Cooleman Ridge Parkcare group go to: http://www.coolemanridge.org/

Click here to visit the 2011 official Landcare Week 2011 page