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Environmental restoration in Iluka – Uni students lend a hand

Capture   Recently Professor David Lloyd and 41 students from Southern Cross University came to Iluka to get down and dirty with the Iluka Land Care Group. The students from the School of Environment, Science and Engineering are studying Protected Area Management and this was the seventh annual visit to Iluka. On Sunday evening a slide show and talk was given by Kay Jeffery, coordinator of Iluka Land Care. Kay explained and showed the work that has been done at the Iluka Bluff over the past twenty years – eradicating bitou bush and lantana thus saving the World Heritage status of the littoral rain forest. On Monday morning the students and staff joined nine members of the Land Care Group for hands on removal of a large infestations of lantana adjoining the sewerage treatment plant site. Professor Lloyd said the age of the Iluka Land Care members was “up there a little bit” and so the students come along and Kay set aside some of the heavy work for them. Every year they come in and push through the lantana. The area they worked on was impenetrable last year and sixty students mowed right through and opened the area up. Professor Lloyd said they were also looking at one of the students coming back and volunteering with mapping, planning and paper work associated with grant applications. Kay Jeffery said on behalf of the Iluka Land Care Group that the experience of working with such an enthusiastic group was uplifting and thoroughly enjoyable and she is looking forward to it happening again next year. Tony Belton