Rushworth Field and Game secured a grant from Community Bank Rushworth and District worth about $1800 to refurbish and upgrade hen houses in local wetlands.
Conservation officer Graeme Wall said the group was grateful to the Community Bank for its grant, as it is helping improve Rushworth’s conservation landscape.
“The grant and community support is helping to improve breeding habitat, and with the branches advocating for wetland improvement and improved management, things are moving in the right direction,” he said.
Students from the Rushworth P-12 College HOPE program recently participated in upgrading the houses by assisting members in retrieving existing hen houses for maintenance.
The project aligns with Field and Game Australia’s new coconut fibre lining initiative.
The elevated hen houses provide crucial protection for ground-nesting birds against predators such as foxes and feral cats, though crow interference remains a challenge.
The group has been collaborating with environmental agencies in the Corop wetlands, where remedial work is already under way.
Additionally, members have installed parrot and sugar glider boxes along the Campaspe Shire section of the Waranga Rail trail, with work on the Greater Shepparton section nearing completion.
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