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Green Corps
Young Australians for the Environment
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Completed Green Corps Projects 
2006-2007
Ballina - Enhancing and Protecting Biodiversity Including Threatened Ecological Communities
13 Nov to 11 May 2007
The major activity for this project was the construction of a stone stairway at Shelly Beach, Ballina with material and technical support from the Ballina Shire Council. Previous beach access paths to the beach were both hazardous to the local community and destructive to the natural environment.
Bush regeneration was implemented at Emerys Scrub, Beacoms Scrub, Alcheringa Scrub, Brockley Scrub, Duck Creek Rainforest Remnant and Meerschaum Vale Wetlands. Fence blockades were built on Seven Mile Beach, Lennox Head to prevent off-rod vehicles accessing fragile sand dunes. In total 400 metres of fence was erected at eight sites, which prevents further erosion by vehicles, facilitates regeneration of coastal vegetation and helps protect the habitat of local fauna and flora. A further one kilometre of fencing was erected at Meershaum Vale Wetlands to restrict cattle access to a fragile area of acid sulphate soils while 500 native tree seedlings were also planted. The fencing protects the planting from livestock and tree establishment will help reduce the water table.
2006
Susan Island and Yuraygir Habitat Enhancement Project: Grafton (NSW)
13 Feb 2006 to 11 Aug 2006
Based across two sites, the team for this project experienced working in both rainforest and coastal locations. At Susan Island the team focused on expanding existing rainforest through planting native vegetation, weed identification and control. At Minnie Waters the team members rehabilitated vegetation adjacent to a fire track through coastal heath, improve beach access to protect sensitive coastal habitat, assisted with seed collection and propagation activities. Wildlife and vegetation surveys, path construction and fencing was also part of the project. The team got involved in an education day at the Grafton Centre for Excellence and developed brochures for the community on a number of issues, including the role of the threatened flying fox in rainforest restoration.
2005-2006
Cabins Beach - Diggers Head Littoral Rainforest Access and Restoration
26 Sep 2005 to 24 Mar 2006
The participants were involved in Gumbaingirr Nation Aboriginal cultural heritage awareness training at the commencement of the project together with Occupational Health and Safety and Senior First Aid training.
The participants were involved in Littoral rainforest ecosystem evolution and function understanding and species recognition led by the honorary curator of the North Coast Regional Botanic Garden Herbarium, Coffs Harbour, Mr Alec Floyd, who wrote the Rainforest classification system for Australian rainforests. Alec is a world renowned local botanist with an enormous knowledge of rainforest environments and has an easy going style that lends itself to imparting knowledge to others.
The participants also undertook dunal species identification and dunal restoration works with NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service staff. Participants undertook introductory training for hand and small power tools which introduced them to basic carpentry construction skills, this enabled them to undertake construction of a raised boardwalk and board and chain walkways. They also learnt the skills needed for seed collection techniques, nursery propagation, nursery production, restoration planting, weed identification and control techniques. Participants where also exposed to other sites that have been worked on by local community volunteers of Landcare.
2004-2005
Bunjalung Walking Track and Koala Conservation and Corridor Connection
15th Nov 2004 to 13th May 2005
Lismore is one of four urban areas in NSW that supports a free living population of Koalas. The Green Corps project focused on improving the habitat value of existing remnant vegetation and consolidating and expanding core areas to support the koala population. The team worked with Lismore City Council staff, Friends of the Koala and Southern Cross University on priority activities to reverse the current trend of population decline. Another component of the project was to assist local Landcare groups with native vegetation plantations and regeneration.
2004-2005
Community Working Together - Tweed Coast and Estuaries Restoration Project
30 Aug 2004 to 25 Feb 2005
The Tweed Coast is an area of significant conservation value evidenced by inclusion in the Catchment Management Authority's (CMA) list of high priority sites for Natural Heritage Trust investment. The Tweed Coast is known for high biodiversity of both flora and fauna and the large number of threatened species. The natural vegetation in Tweed Coast littoral rainforest areas and on the banks of the creeks has been invaded by a range of environmental weeds. The environmental weeds have impacted on the remnants of native vegetation by reducing the health, germination and expansion of native species. This Green Corps project enabled the implementation of five recently completed Vegetation Management Plans for specific High Conservation Value sites on the Tweed Coast.
2004
Historic Littoral Rainforest Access to Hills Beach
12 Apr 2004 to 31 Oct 2004
Coffs Harbour City Council (CHCC) and National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) reached a Memorandum of Understanding for the joint management of the Coffs Harbour Regional Park. The park contains dramatic headlands which support dwarf heath, sedge and headland rainforest vegetation communities of regional significance. This Green Corps project focused on the vegetation restoration and provision of public access from a steep headland to Hills Beach. The project aims to reverse significant erosion caused by historic public access through 2.5ha of SEPP26 Littoral Rainforest by constructing above ground timber stairs and restoring the eroded area and revegetating with endemic plant species.
Wetland Riparian Restoration in Bungawalbin Catchment
27 Jan 2004 to 30 Jul 2004
The project aimed to work with community groups and property holders such as tea tree, sugar cane, dairy and cattle farmers to restore wetland and riparian habitat and protect threatened species in the Bungawalbin Catchment. Project activities included liaison with property holders, wetland assessment techniques, preparing action plans and working to the Bungawalbin Catchment Strategic Plan which identifies key habitat. The plan determine where fencing and weed control was required and this work was completed with the technical expertise of Wetland Care Australia. Other project activities included working with Southern Cross University experts on wetland health assessment, tree planting, developing wetland interpretation materials and presenting this information to the public and property holders, constructing walking tracks and bird hides.
2003-2004
Southern Yuraygir National Park Environmental Restoration and Threatened Species Monitoring project
1 Sep 2003 to 12 Mar 2004
The project was designed to enable the protection of threatened shorebird habitats through the construction of fencing and weed and vertebrate pest control. The project also measured the success of ongoing conservation programs by monitoring threatened shorebirds during their season from October to February.
2003
Restoration of Tweed Shire High Priority Riparian Vegetation and Dry Stone Wall Construction at Mount Burrell Cultural Gardens Inc.
19 May 2003 to 14 Nov 2003
The Project involved protection of remnant rainforest, fencing, dry stone wall construction, straw bale and mud brick building construction. The team also helped prepare for a traditional Aboriginal Fire and Dance Ceremony to give the Culture Gardens back to the community.
Ballina Shire Coastline Restoration and Rehabilitation
14 Apr 2003 to 24 Oct 2003
The project aimed to restore and rehabilitate significant coastal vegetation on the Ballina Shire coastline and created links between these vegetation patches. The project aims were achieved by implementation of recently completed Vegetation Management Plans which detailed site-specific weed control to enable natural regeneration and control of dunal erosion by formalising public access with construction of walking tracks and fencing.
Alstonville Plateau Big Scrub Remnant Restoration
20 Jan 2003 to 8 Aug 2003
This entailed restoring and developing links between four major Big Scrub Remnants on the plateau. The team worked with over 300 species of native plants and learned control techniques for 40 weed species. The project assist six Landcare Groups in addition to Ballina Shire Council.
Macauleys Headland Coastal Walking Track
20 Jan 2003 to 8 Aug 2003
The project entailed construction of a bridge, stairway and board and chain walkway plus bush regeneration on a site that contains significant heath and grassland vegetation. The team also conducted flora and fauna surveys in the Woolgoolga Flora Reserve.
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