Wetlands Environmental Taskforce

With the origins of Field & Game Australia intertwined with preserving wetland habitats, it seemed only a natural progression to form a public fund to assist in further wetlands conservation. While wetland habitats form part of public land such as state game reserves and state parks, accessing these wetlands for conservation and to perform maintenance can be problematic.

The Wetlands Environmental Taskforce (WET) was formed in 2002 with the purpose of purchasing, restoring and maintaining wetland habitats. With ownership of the habitats comes the full access required to rehabilitate ecosystems and restore biodiversity.

With rehabilitation comes transformation, none so dramatic as the changes brought about at the Heart Morass, in Gippsland. In 2004, a parcel of 819 hectares of the Heart Morass was up for sale. The land was worn down, depleted by a century of stock grazing, with salinity issues from saltwater intrusion, but it could be made into a diverse and productive wetland again.

The first land purchase was completed in 2006, with two more parcels of adjoining land acquired by WET in 2010 and 2013. Restoration and conservation started with the 2006 purchase, and continues to this day. Field & Game Australia members have, and will continue to, volunteer their time and expertise to rehabilitate this degraded farmland to the thriving wetland habitat it once was.

In the years since that first parcel of land was purchased, over 50,000 native trees have been planted, 20 tonnes of introduced (and invasive) carp have been removed, and seeds have been collected from over 50 native plant species for revegetation, thanks to hunters and the Heart Morass project partners: Field & Game Australia, Watermark Inc., Bug Blitz, West Gippsland Catchment Management Authority, and the Hugh D.T. Williamson Foundation.

The Heart Morass is one of the largest projects undertaken by WET. Other projects include the Australian National Hunting Archive, where the role of hunting in Australia’s history and culture is the central focus of a large library and archive; and the latest project at Connewarre, where Field & Game Australia members have devoted hundreds of hours to construct a wetland centre for the purposes of research into wetland habitats, waterfowl nesting and breeding habits, as well as educating hunters and the wider public alike on the benefits of wetland habitats and hunter-led conservation efforts.

Field & Game Australia is proud to have been involved with the inception of WET, as the conservation of wetland habitats is as important now as ever.

For more information on Wetlands Environmental Taskforce, visit the website at www.WET.org.au or its Facebook page at  https://www.facebook.com/wetlandsenvironmentaltaskforce

Donate to the trust online or by phone

If you'd like to help ensure WET can continue its valuable work for the environment, donations can be made to Wetlands Environmental Taskforce Public Trust online by visiting the Donate page at https://www.wet.org.au/donate/ or by phoning the Field & Game Australia national office on (03) 5799 0960.

OR, you might like to donate and have your donation acknowledged by a Wetlands Environmental Taskforce Duck Stamp.

Wetlands Environmental Taskforce Duck Stamps are an easy way to make a difference to wetland conservation efforts in Australia.

When you donate to Wetlands Environmental Taskforce Trust, you will receive an email containing an A4-sized "thankyou" receipt showing the number of $50 Duck Stamps equal to your donation amount (available in multiples of $50, up to $500) which you can print out and keep – or, for an extra $5.95, we will print it for you on deluxe paper suitable for framing, and post it to you (you can choose to add this option during the checkout process). Check out our Duck Stamps here!

Your donation goes directly toward the ongoing conservation and preservation of precious Australian wetland habitats for the benefit of the native species that depend upon them and also for the enjoyment of generations of outdoors lovers to come. 

Donations to Wetlands Environmental Taskforce Public Trust are tax-deductible.

Donate via Facebook

From time to time, our posts on Facebook may seek your donation to Wetlands Environmental Taskforce Public Trust via that platform. If you'd like to help, please consider donating via the "Donate" button on those posts.

Donations made in this way are facilitated by PayPal Giving Fund Services and are made to PayPal Giving Fund Australia, a Public Ancillary Fund (ABN 65 106 950 945) registered with the Australian Charities and Not-For-Profit Commission and endorsed by the Australian Taxation Office as a deductible gift recipient. PayPal Giving Fund Australia then passes the donation on to Wetlands Environmental Taskforce Public Trust. It does not charge a commission to do this, meaning 100% of your donation will go to Wetlands Environmental Taskforce Public Trust.

Donors will receive a receipt of donation from PayPal Giving Fund marking the amount and the date that the donation was made.