What's New in Junior Landcare

Over $40,000 in Junior Landcare grants has been awarded to Victorian schools to help students learn about the environment and sustainability.

The students will partake in activities such as testing water quality, revegetating wetland and riparian zones and monitoring local populations of wildlife including birds, mammals, lizards, spiders and frogs.

The Melbourne Water Young Watercare Grants program allocates grants of up to $5,000 to schools and youth groups in the greater Port Phillip and Westernport region, and can be used to fund river health and water saving projects.

The Melbourne Water Young Watercare Grant has helped students get their hands dirty (and wet!) since 2003 through the Junior Landcare Grants Program. Schools can use the funds to restore or maintain waterways in their local area through activities like water testing, reducing litter, water bug surveys, tree planting or protecting native flora and fauna.

Melbourne Water’s General Manager of Waterways, Chris Chesterfield, said as managers of Melbourne’s water supply and caretakers of more than 8400 kilometres of waterways, Melbourne Water recognised the valuable contribution that schools made in water conservation and protecting the health of waterways.

“It’s great to see young generations develop a passion for saving water and looking after our waterways,” said Mr Chesterfield.

“These grants help give them the resources to continue their fantastic work, learn new skills and build their knowledge of our waterways and the need to save water.”

Landcare Australia CEO Heather Campbell said kids were more conscious of the environment than ever before.

“The support of Melbourne Water has made a huge difference at a grassroots level, and The Young Watercare Grants have allowed kids to get outside and do something practical to help the environment.”

Junior Landcare is an initiative of Landcare Australia that gets kids actively involved in their environment and encourages them to develop environmentally sustainable habits from a young age. It teaches kids about sustainability and restoration in a fun and hands-on learning environment, and gets them connecting with and learning about nature, as well as encouraging them to get outdoors.

Click here for more information about Melbourne Water Young Watercare Grants, which are awarded annually.