Over the last nine months an EcoCrews team has rescued degraded sites in the Bega Valley shire, with Camel Rock and Pambula beaches in particular benefitting.
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Isolde Kamerman is the supervisor of the six-member team..
"We have made quite a difference at Pambula working in the dunes, pulling out rose-scented geraniums and now the native groundcover pigface has come back," she said.
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At Camel Rock, Rebecca Rudd from Beauty Point Bushcare group has shared her knowledge with the team as they weeded, sprayed and planted 150 native plants
"They have absolutely transformed this site," Ms Rudd said.
"They are now highly sought after because people can see what they have done."
Paid on-the-job training doing environmental good
EcoCrews is a social enterprise created by Campbell Page in July 2021, in partnership with the Bega Valley and Eurobodalla shire councils, to help regenerate the shires after the 2019/20 bushfires.
Under the program young people are paid to help complete environmental projects, while at the same time receiving formal training including units towards a Certificate II in Conservation and Land Management and a construction white card.
It is funded with the help of a $2.1 million grant from the NSW Bushfire Local Economic Recovery fund.
The crews work alongside the councils' own environment teams on a range of projects, from planting trees and restoring sand dunes to rebuilding community spaces.
Kirsty Fowler from Campbell Page is responsible for hiring, training and supporting the three teams across the two shires.
"The teams work with Landcare and the World Wildlife Fund and were involved in the planting of 4000 plants to create a koala corridor across two private properties in Coila," Ms Fowler said.
Learning new supervisory skills
Ms Kamerman was working for the council in Sydney's Hunters Hill supervising a group of volunteers but wanted to work in the country.
In Sydney she supervised experienced volunteers whereas her EcoCrews members are mostly school leavers so a lot of her role is teaching about native plants, weeds and weed control management.
They also receive training in chainsaws, first aid, occupational health and safety and pesticides.
She said it is immensely rewarding work.
"One of the members from the first crew has a job as a ranger in the Northern Territory so it is very satisfying helping people achieve their goals while seeing the difference at sites like Camel Rock."
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