Make a difference at the Gippsland Lakes

The fourth round of the Gippsland Lakes Community Grants are now open and close at 9 am on Monday, 13 May.

According to Gippsland Lakes Coordinating Committee Co-Chair, Peter Jennings, said the grants provide an opportunity for community groups to seek funding for projects that will help tackle key priorities for the environmental health of the Gippsland Lakes.

“There is $270k in community grant funding available,” explained Mr Jennings.

“Since 2015, these community grants have funded 25 great projects across the Gippsland Lakes.

“This includes the Gippsland Lakes Great Pelican Count with BirdLife Australia, the expansion of the Heyfield Wetlands, funding to Landcare networks to work with landowners and much more.

“Projects can be big or small. Larger funding allocations require more on ground works.

“Successful projects will help address these high priority actions and protect important values of the Gippsland Lakes.”

The Nungurner Community and Coast Action Group secured funding for a project near the Nungurner jetty in the last round of community grants that allowed them to work in partnership with the Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation and Parks Victoria.

Secretary of the group, Merilyn Gander said the grant allowed the group to formalise their working relationship with GLaWAC. “We worked collaboratively with them to develop a work plan so that our volunteers could dovetail in with the work they were doing,” said Merilyn.

“At each stage of the project we developed a plan to follow them with the work that we could do like planting and mulching after they’ve done the big stuff like spraying and major weed control.”

Full details of these Community Grants are available at www.loveourlakes.net.au this includes the Gippsland Lakes Priorities Plan, Gippsland Lakes Community Grants Guidelines and Gippsland Lakes Community Grants Application Form.

Applicants are encouraged to read the guidelines before preparing project applications.

The GLCC Community Grants Program is an important component of the $12.5 million Gippsland Lakes program being implemented by a range of organisations and community groups across the Gippsland Lakes catchment to June 2020.

For more information visit www.loveourlakes.net.au, or call Carolyn Cameron on 5150 3582.

Applications close at 9 am on Monday, 13 May 2019.

Funding for these grants has been made available from the Victorian State Government for the health of the Gippsland Lakes.