Federal Member for Cowper Luke Hartsuyker has announced the start of new Green Army projects on the North Coast, including World Heritage rainforest. “The Green Army continues to deliver benefits to the North Coast, improving the environment while offering young people with the chance to undertake paid volunteer work, acquire skills and enhance future employment prospects,” Mr Hartsuyker said. “This work is also important in improving the native habitat of threatened species and protecting ecosystems from human impacts.” The Green Army will undertake: • A three-stage major track restoration and noxious weed management project in World Heritage-listed Dorrigo National Park, to improve the condition of vulnerable areas of the rainforest and manage human impacts; • Restoration work on rainforest and riparian sites at Maclean Rainforest, a recognised camp for the Grey Headed Flying Fox. “Many of the sites the North Coast, particularly in the north, support a magnificent range of migratory bird species which migrate to the area to forage in these unique habitats, so they are important areas to restore and protect,” Mr Hartsuyker said. “You just have to look at Diggers Beach at Coffs Harbour, where I met Green Army graduates in December, to see the difference they have made to the aesthetics and ecology around the beach foreshore.” These North Coast projects are part of 397 new Green Army Round Four Projects to be delivered between now and June 2017. Green Army members will work with NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service and volunteers to learn how to manage erosion, weed infestations and restoration techniques in rainforest, riparian forests and wet vegetation areas. For more information on the Green Army go to http://www.environment.gov.au/land/green-army