By Holly McGuinness
Whittlesea council and Outdoors Victoria have opened applications for the Nature Stewards spring program, aimed at individuals who want to better connect with and care for the environment.
The program will run for 10 weeks from Saturday, September 17 to Saturday, December 3.
Participant Ben Marshall said it’s a great program for people to level up having a positive eco-impact.
“Most of us value the natural world and love being a part of it, but not many of us take the next step to find out how to better protect our environment, advocate for our world and take action,” Mr Marshall said.
Participants will be educated on their local ecosystems with topics including rocks and soils, fungi, flora and fauna, climate change, becoming a citizen scientist and many more.
The variety of topics intends to cover as much as possible over the ten weeks as well as four field sessions for participants to gain hands-on experience.
“As our region grows, the environmental challenges grow commensurately, and this program has given me the tools to help, as well as knowing where to go to find assistance,” Mr Marshall said.
The program is open to anyone over 18 and suggested for those who have an interest in caring for land but don’t have a lot of knowledge on how to do so.
Mr Marshall said there’s a variety of people involved and highly recommends the program.
“I wasn’t expecting the breadth of backgrounds, age groups and areas of interest for my fellow group members,” he said.
Applications for the program will close on Friday, September 9.
Details: www.outdoorsvictoria.org.au/nature-stewards/
