New guidelines to better support Bushland Care groups

New operational guidelines signed off on Thursday, will strengthen Council’s partnership with Noosa’s Bushland Care volunteer groups.

Councillor Joe Jurisevic says the new operational guidelines will ensure Noosa’s 15 Bushland Care groups are supported with tools and equipment and have ongoing hands-on help from Council, with staff to attend each group’s working bees two to four times each year.

“The guidelines formalise Council’s commitment to the program and appreciation for the volunteers’ contribution to the local environment,” he said.

The Community Bushland Care program has been active in Noosa since 2002 and since then volunteers have transformed some of the most degraded bushland areas in the Shire.

Today, there are more than 150 volunteers across 15 groups that undertake more than 300 working bees each year, improving the environment for all residents of Noosa Shire.

“These volunteers work tirelessly to restore degraded creek bed areas, enhance frog habitat along the edges of local creeks and tributaries, improve wildlife corridors and enhance water quality through planting,” Cr Jurisevic said.

“Council’s parks and gardens and natural areas teams can’t be everywhere so the Bushland Care groups’ contribution is invaluable.

“Each week our local Bushland Care volunteers remove hundreds of weeds and plant new koala food and glossy black cockatoo feed trees, among the species they plant.”

For anyone interested in getting involved and helping out their local Bushland Care group, the locations, meeting times and contacts for all the groups can be found on Council's website.

24 April 2018