Grants

The following is a list of grants awarded at the August 2009 meeting of Trustees of The Norman Wettenhall Foundation.

Australian National University

Return of the Fauna: Brown Treecreeper Reintroductions in Eucalypt Woodland

PhD Candidate, Victoria Bennett, is working with ‘reintroductions’ of species, recognising that many such programs in the past have been unsuccessful. The study will reintroduce the Brown Treecreeper in the ACT within an area of restoration works and carry out detailed monitoring. The aim is to not only re-establish this bird population to a grassy eucalyptus woodland, but to study the factors that affect the success of such reintroduction programs.

$2,750

Marine Discovery Centre

To develop 3 marine interpretive signs for Hickey Island Reserve, Yamba, NSW

$3,000

The Foundation has funded signage on another project for this group in the past. Their report has shown that interpretive signs are "an outstanding vehicle for community awareness raising and education". These signs are for Hickey Island Reserve and will contain information on coastal birds. For more information on the programs being delivered by the Marine Discovery Centre in South Australia go to www.marinediscoverycentre.com.au

Peninsular Bird Observers Club

Education about the behaviour and conservation of birds

$2,500

This group will print bird posters to use in conjunction with their school education program in the Mornington Peninsula - one is on raptors and the other ‘birds in flight’. The posters will be used as aids in the classrooms with a personal visit by a club member.

Funding has been granted using the RE Ross Trust Small Rural Victorian Grants.

Seeding Victoria

$8,500

Seed Production Area - Future Seed Gathering

Seeding Victoria is a nationally recognised leader in the field of provenance-based seed supply. The group will set up a seed production area focusing on understory plants within their current operations. The aim is to increase the diversity and supply of difficult to collect understory native shrub and ground cover species for revegetation projects within Victoria. For more information go to www.seedbank.com.au

This project is proudly supported with funds from the RE Ross Trust Victorian Small Rural Grants Scheme.

Understorey Network

$1,200

Connecting People and Plants

The Norman Wettenhall Foundation is proud to be co-sponsoring this project with the Mullum Trust. The project involves the promotion of Tasmanian native plant propagation using workshops, field days, and provision of plants to local growers via a grower’s propagation kit. Plants grown are given to community groups for local revegetation projects.

University of Tasmania

$3,884

Contribution of forest remnants to the persistence of insectivorous bats in the landscape: local and landscape factors that affect their use

This research seeks more information on the habitat requirements for bats in Tasmanian forests. The project, by PhD Candidate Lisa Cawthen, aims to determine how changes to habitat, the use of remnant habitat, and the size of remnant habitat affects community structure, demographics and number of bats. The project will also develop a bat call identification key. Funds are to purchase microchips.