Four weeks left to apply for local environment grants

Community-based environmental groups have just four weeks in which to apply for grants to rehabilitate their local environment.

I urge community groups that support and protect the natural environment to apply for the first round of the Everyone’s Environment grants.

The Queensland Government will provide $12 million over the next three years for community environmental groups to tackle local conservation issues.

Second and third rounds of the grants will be made available in 2013 and 2014.

Only weeks remain until applications close for the first round of these grants on 28 September.

Grants of between $2,000 and $100,000 are available for projects like tree-planting and restoring land, water quality improvement, land and waterway clean-ups, and monitoring pollutants in streams.

Grants are open to community service organisations such as parents and citizens’ groups, Landcare, Coastcare, Bushcare, Rivercare and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander groups.

As well, Scouts and Guides, Rotary, Lions and local environmental and conservation groups and volunteers all do excellent work for the environment and we’re committed to helping them.

Funds will go towards local and regional environmental priorities.

One of the best ways of ensuring this occurs is for applicants to partner with local schools and councils in planning local environmental projects and we would encourage applications to reflect this.

These grants bring about real improvements at the local level, so I urge local groups to get their applications in now.

Further information, grant guidelines and application forms for the Everyone’s Environment grants are available at www.ehp.qld.gov.au