Wetlands get green grant

WITH the aim of protecting the school’s wetland area, the Ross Creek campus of Woady Yaloack Primary School begun maintenance works following a grant from the Victorian Government.

The grant is part of a long-term plan for the revival of the area to make it more accessible for the school’s pupils and the community and involves taking steps towards rehabilitating the space.

Principal of Woady Yaloak’s four campuses Corey Pohlner said the school strives to protect the natural ecosystem and native flora and fauna of the area.

“We have a long-term vision to join our Ross Creek Wetlands with the Ross Creek Recreation Reserve to build an area for our school and community to fully utilise and enjoy,” he said.

“What we would love is to get it to a stage where it can be easily maintained and have walking facilities that connects the wetlands with the reserve area.”

With planting and weeding works already underway thanks to the Ross Creek Landcare Group, that organisation’s president Liz Charleson said the grant will help to enable the land to reach its full potential.

“The restoration of the school wetlands has been an ongoing project that will hopefully lead to the school and the wider community using it more,” she said.

“As climate change gets worse, this will hopefully give the students and the community a feeling that they can do something about it rather than feeling hopeless.”

Member for Buninyong Michaela Settle was joined by Mr Pohlner, school staff, Landcare Group members and members of the community to announce the funding.

“This is a wonderful grant to be able to announce because it brings together so many different groups and in a town like Ross Creek, those community groups are essential,” Ms Settle said.

“Corey has grand plans of being able to run classes in these wetlands … it’s all about getting the kids involved.

“This is one of the first steps towards that bigger plan, the local Landcare Group have been working away weeding and planting and this grant will enable this grant to continue.”

Woady Yaloak received $3850 for weed spraying as part of the State Government’s Junior Landcare and Biodiversity Grants with the additional aim of engaging young students with their environments.

Grade 6 student Tilly Bushell said she was excited to get involved in the gardening of the wetlands.

“All the grass is overgrown so we need to do something about that,” she said.

“It would be good if we could make the wetlands part of the reserve walking track so we can walk over here.”