By Renee Wood
The Great Forest National Park campaign is being boosted by runners’ efforts this month to raise awareness and funds.
The Great Forest Trail Marathon is working towards raising $120,000 to support the campaign which endorses the establishment of a ‘Great Forest National Park’ to provide more protection and connection through remnant pockets of old growth forest.
This could see 355,000 hectares of forests added to the existing 170,000 hectares of parks and protected areas in the Yarra Ranges Central Highlands of Victoria.
Some 120 runners are taking part in either the 22km or 44km run on Sunday 20 November, running within the Yarra Ranges National Park, starting and finishing at the Maroondah Dam carpark.
Runner Madeline Ruffino is taking part but has set herself a different challenge to run the 44km four times to reach 176km over a couple of days.
Ms Ruffino aims to raise $5,000 and said she’s joining the cause because she wants to give back to the forest that she’s connected to.
“I’ve spent hours, upon hours out in the forest, really just getting to know myself and it just means the world to me if I can make a little bit of difference, because it saved me in so many ways and has challenged me,” she said.
The ultramarathon runner said the Great Forest National Park campaign would bring more awareness to the great natural assets that are in the Yarra Valley such as the forests, trails and mountains.
“It makes such a difference when you can make a change and do something like this with your running.”
Those interested can still sign up to take part in the run to fundraise for the event which is in partnership with Patagonia.
Local grassroots organisations are being supported by the fundraising with almost $25,000 already going towards Wildlife of the Central Highlands (WOTCH), Great Forest NP advocacy group, and Pay the Rent (a First Nations Collective based on the lands of the Kulin Nation) whose work advances the establishment of the Great Forest National Park.
If you’d like to find out more, head to https://greatforest.raisely.com/
