• Werribee, Hoppers Crossing, Point Cook Star

By Denise Deason

5th June 2007 11:05:18 AM

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THE Cheetham Wetlands of Point Cook Coastal Park have been awarded vital continued funding for a new three-year project run by Conservation Volunteers Australia in partnership with BHP Billiton.

The Revive Our Wetlands program will extend to 2009, investing $1.8 million in five parks around Australia.

The parks will receive at least 10,000 volunteer days of hands-on, co-ordinated assistance in a range of environmental projects including weeding, planting and rubbish clearing.

The Cheetham Wetlands area is the only one in Victoria to be selected as a priority site.

Point Cook Coastal Park ranger Bernie McCarrick welcomed the announcement as “fantastic”.

“The work can continue in removing noxious weeds, such as the African box thorn, a prickly bush, and doing some more planting of native species,” he said.

“By removing the weeds we can reduce rabbit havens and give the native flora a chance to re-establish.

“We’ll also be doing litter collection along the sand dunes and foreshore.”

Originally a saltworks, another project carried out is reducing salt and monitoring the 81 ponds scattered around the 500-hectare site.

The Cheetham Wetlands are an internationally recognised system providing habitat for many species of migratory birds, including the endangered orange bellied parrot, which breeds in Tasmania.

About 14,000 birds use the habitat each year.

As well as the local ducks, swans and herons, the migratory birds include the sharp-tailed sandpiper and red-necked stint, both from Siberia, and the pacific golden plover, from Alaska.

The migratory birds follow the warm weather between the southern and northern hemispheres.

“It’s vital to keep the wetlands alive for these birds,” Mr McCarrick said.

“Without Cheetham, the birds would have to try to find somewhere else or they would die. I love the conservation work we do here.

“I’m always happy when I watch the birds leave on their migration because I know I’ve done my job.

“Our volunteers get a lot of satisfaction out of it, too. To see the transformation from what the habitat was like a few years ago to what it is now for the birds has been magical.”

The other sites to receive funding are the Upper Spencer Gulf Desert Coasts Wetlands, SA, Townsville Town Common, Qld, Southern Rivers Wetlands, NSW, and Beeliar Regional Park Wetlands, WA.

The extension of the program beings the total contribution by BHP Billiton to Revive Our Wetlands to $5 million.

Since its establishment in 2001, the program has resulted in 250,000 hours contributed to rehabilitation works with 400,000 stems and trees planted, 2500 hectares of weeds controlled, 80 km of fence erected, 55 km of walking tracks rejuvenated and five tonnes of rubbish removed.

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