Group

PARKS Victoria chose International Volunteers Day on 5 December as the perfect opportunity to highlight the special contribution made by Friends of the Helmeted Honeyeater.
The group has been working hard for the last 20 years to protect and enhance habitat for the critically endangered Helmeted Honeyeater at Yellingbo Nature Conservation Reserve and the surrounding area.
Parks Victoria ranger in charge Ian Roche said there is a huge range of collaborative partnerships between Parks Victoria and volunteer groups across the state that make a real contribution to the health of Victoria’s parks, reserves and historic areas.
He said the Friends of the Helmeted Honeyeater have been particularly successful in achieving on-ground improvements such as revegetation and also promoting habitat preservation and improvement in the community.
The group propagates and raises indigenous plants at the Yellingbo Nursery every Tuesday and Thursday and the nursery is open to the public every Saturday except during summer.
“This group has been doing a terrific job of engaging and involving the broader community and has really made a difference to, not only the Helmeted Honeyeater, but many other species around Yellingbo,” Mr Roche said.
“Our volunteers are of all ages and walks of life, and come from many different community associations, schools, special interest groups and corporate organisations. We consider all of them as vital partners in our efforts to preserve the beauty and diversity of these protected natural environments,” he said.
More than 250 friends and volunteer groups work with Parks Victoria put in an estimated 200,000 hours of work during the last year.