Young leaders from Cooktown immerse themselves in the world of land management and conservation through a South Cape York Catchments school holiday program. Photo: Supplied.
Cape York is raising the next generation of young environmental leaders with a hands-on trip on Country.
Over the recent school holidays, high school students selected for the South Cape York Catchments (SCYC) Young Cape York Leaders program travelled to Lockhart River and Kutini-Payamu (Iron Range) National Park to dip their toes into the world of conservation and land management.
SCYC youth program coordinator Kyle Sanderson said the trip was a great opportunity for students interested in eco-management work, adding that only eight to 10 participants were selected each year.
“We got them involved in doing some maintenance on a walking track that the local rangers are about to open up for tourists,” he said.
“We [also] got them involved in conservation for the palm cockatoos – doing fire breaks around their nesting trees; we did a bit of a beach clean-up, and a whole heap of awesome wildlife spotting, and cooking as well.
“It’s really good to be able to provide them with that experience, and really let them see if that’s a path that they might want to go down for their careers.”
Mr Sanderson said many of the students were already involved in environmental studies at Cooktown State School, and the week-long trip was a chance to immerse themselves further and make industry connections.
“We work with the conservation and land management students a lot, so a lot of the students that are a part of the group have had a taste of the activities that we do through the program, and we kind of kick it up a notch and get them a little more immersed through these trips,” he explained.
“That builds relationships with these people that work for national parks and Indigenous rangers, and the botanic gardens is also another place we do a lot of work at; all of those people in those roles at those places are great contacts for these students to make.
“They can show their face and show who they are, show that they’re keen and interested, so that down the track, when these jobs become available, they’ve had that experience and people know their faces, so it can really help with career opportunities.”
