More funding for ‘Kids helping Cockies’ Project

The Recovery Team and BirdLife Australia have secured more funds to extend the 'Kids helping Cockies' Project over 2013-14. This will see a continuation of our work with local schools to grow stringybark for Red-tails.

Tenison Woods College Studens planting stringybark seed.

Earlier this year the Recovery Team applied for a second South Australian Natural Resource Management (SA NRM) Community Grant to continue its work with local schools to grow stringybark for Red-tails as part of the highly successful ‘Kids helping Cockies’ Project. This year the project was successful in receiving a total of $17,870 through the annual State grant program for 2013-14.
 
The ‘extending the kids helping cockies project’ will continue to support and advise six regional schools that committed to the nursery program in 2012-13 to develop and establish their own school nurseries to grow stringybark seedlings for localised habitat restoration projects in the South East of SA. Participating schools include Lucindale Area School, Naracoorte South Primary School, Naracoorte Primary School, Nangwarry Primary School, Glenburnie Primary School and Tenison Woods College. All six schools were successful recipients of either a SA NRM Community Grant or SE NRM Regional Grant to establish their own fully functional nursery over 2013-14.

Project staff will support each school by providing ongoing advice and assistance with nursery establishment and germination techniques, seed collection and planting of tube stock. Teachers and students will also be accompanied by project staff on field excursions to plant tube stock at local sites across the South East.

The project will also deliver in-class presentations to an additional 14 schools; with the aim of identifying a further two schools to participate and commit to establishing a school nursery program in 2014-15. Presentations will focus on the needs of Red-tails and provide teachers and students with a basic introduction to seed growing techniques for stringybark.
 
It is anticipated that the additional two schools identified through this project will grow and supply seedlings to future revegetation projects in the region. Staff will facilitate this by assisting with the preparation of nursery plans and funding applications through next year’s State NRM grants.

Participation in this project will not only provide students with an understanding of Red-tails and their needs, but will also provide a ‘hands on’ approach to the conservation and restoration of the cockatoo’s important stringybark habitat through the propagation process.

For more information about the project or how your school can become involved please contact the Project Coordinator on 1800 262 062 or by emailing redtail@birdlife.org.au.