RACV members ‘green-light’ three Landcare projects

Three environmental groups working to support local communities have won funding for worthwhile projects from Landcare Australia and its community partner, RACV.

Six projects were originally considered for funding through RACV’s community partnerships program comprising two projects each from the Healesville, Cape Schanck and Inverloch areas. In an innovative competition to determine the three winning projects, RACV members were asked to pick  one project  they preferred from  each of  the  three  areas,  with the highest  number  of  votes determining the top three projects.

In the Healesville area, the winning Landcare group will receive funding to support bushfire-affected communities still recovering from the devastating Black Saturday bushfires from 2009. The group will plant thousands of trees, shrubs and grasses to restore the biodiversity that was lost in the fires.

The Anderson Inlet Landcare Group obtained funding for its Inverloch project, protecting the estuary as an important feeding habitat for migratory birds and reducing sediments to improve the water quality of Anderson Inlet.

Cape Schanck’s Main Creek Catchment Landcare Group has received funding to conserve and re- establish tracts of indigenous vegetation to link bushland remnants and protect animals and birds native to the area.

More than 1700 votes were received from RACV members keen to nominate their preferred projects. Belinda Hunt of Sebastopol, an RACV member for 17 years, was the winning entrant and received a $1000 RACV Resorts voucher to spend at any RACV resort.

RACV Manager Community Relations and Heritage, Heather Shanhun, said RACV members were enthusiastic about the Landcare projects and welcomed the opportunity to have a say in which projects were given the green light.

“We had a fantastic response from members with many of them commenting that it was a great initiative well-deserving of RACV’s involvement and they appreciated being given the opportunity to influence the decision as to which projects would be supported,” said Ms Shanhun.

“Members were also positive about RACV’s continued support for important environment projects being carried out in local communities.” Landcare Australia’s Chief Executive Officer Heather Campbell said the initiative was a great opportunity to promote Victorian Landcare projects to RACV members.