Wetlands project for Everglades

A project aimed at increasing public awareness of the value of wetlands and to encourage active community participation in wetland monitoring and rehabilitation is being run in Woy Woy.

"It has an ultimate goal of encouraging volunteers to join the community bushcare group in its rehabilitation work at the Everglades Lagoon Wetland," according to project officer Ms Narelle Leite.

The Community Environment Network will conduct a community survey in Woy Woy to increase public awareness of the Everglades Lagoon Wetland, Ms Leite said.

"The survey is designed to increase public awareness of the wetland and to gain an insight into current community perceptions about wetlands and their importance in our local environment.

"The Wetland Education Project is a two-year project funded by the NSW Government through its Environmental Trust with the support of Gosford Council, the Hawkesbury Nepean Catchment Management Authority and local businesses."

A "field day" will be held at the Everglades Lagoon Wetland in August to "give the community the opportunity to become familiar with the wetland and the bush regeneration work being conducted by the local bushcare group".

"There will also be talks from local experts such as Dr Cameron Webb, a clinical lecturer at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Sydney, who has recently been working on projects to assess the change in mosquito populations following rehabilitation of degraded estuarine wetlands.

There will also be water quality monitoring and a presentation about the NSW Land for Wildlife Program.

"A series of educational factsheets will be available to the public at the Field Day on topics such as wetland types, wetland plants, wetland animals, wetland weeds, wetland protection and mosquitoes."

For more information telephone 4348 4327, or email wetlands@cccen.org.au.

Press release, 27 Jun 2008 Narelle Leite, Community Environment Network