Quartet give HELPing hands

By Melissa Meehan
FOUR young minds are taking the world by storm.
The HELP (Helping Endangered Leadbeater’s Possums) team will not only present their year-long project at the International Future Problem Solving Conference in Wisconsin – they will be featured in Network Ten’s science program Scope.
The team, Elly Robertson (from Kallista), Luke McConnell (Berwick) and Emerald’s Ellie and Mollie Travica, have worked hard since the bushfires to save the critically endangered species.
They recently submitted an application for a community grant for habitat revegetation at Yellingbo.
Elly said their school project had left the team feeling powered and informed.
“We have worked very hard to make the community more aware of the plight of the Leadbeater’s possum and have been able to provide food, shelter and a new, safe habitat,” Elly said.
“We will continue to support supplementary feeding programs at Lake Mountain, which is still barren with limited food sources.
“Revegetation works at Yellingbo will directly assist in providing dense structurally young forest ideal habitat for the species.”
Elly said the team had other awareness and fundraising ideas and opportunities planned, including a dinner, to sponsor more nesting boxes.