$100,000 for Eyre Peninsula community landscape projects
Five community groups, four Progress Associations, four farming groups or landholders and a council will all receive a share of over $100,000 of funding in this year’s Grassroots Grants program.
26 August 2021
The 14 projects funded by the Eyre Peninsula Landscape Board will see $101,485 put towards a diverse range of community-based landscape management projects.
Chair of the Eyre Peninsula Landscape Board Mark Whitfield says the Board is pleased to see so many members of the Eyre Peninsula community put their hands up to look after our local natural resources.
“These grants are a great opportunity for the Eyre Peninsula community to work on projects that protect or restore our natural environment or boost a group’s understanding of priority landscape areas,” Mr Whitfield says.
“The projects this year are quite diverse, assisting local volunteers and groups from around the region to undertake activities such as coastal restoration in Whyalla, Venus Bay and Fowlers Bay; re-invigorating the Minnipa Pioneer Park; restoring threatened blue gum woodlands; and a series of workshops engaging women in agriculture on subjects such as soil management and grazing management.”
The Lower Eyre Coastcare Group is one of this year recipients. Kerryn McEwan, spokesperson for the group, says they are grateful to have been selected.
“We have been working with the Lake Wangary School for over a decade, undertaking revegetation work around the coastline of Lower Eyre Peninsula, which culminates in our Greenly tree planting day each year,” Ms McEwan says.
“Students and volunteers work hard to grow all of the local native plants in a nursery at the school, however the water quality over the past two years has affected plant growth.
“With this funding we will be able to install a new tank, pump and new irrigation system, which has been designed to improve water use efficiency and expand our plant growing capability.”
Grassroots Grants are offered annually in each of the State’s landscape board regions, as part of the Landscape SA Act 2019.
Minister for Environment and Water David Speirs said the Grassroots Grants program is aimed at local projects that contribute to improved management of the environment.
“The Marshall Liberal Government’s Landscape SA legislation is an historic reform of how we approach natural resources management in South Australia,” he said.
“It’s all about a back-to-basics approach and giving local communities a greater say in how we manage our natural environment.”
See the full list of successful applications for this year.
The next round of applications will open in mid-2022.