The big winner in a round of national funding from Department of Conservation is the Kopurererua Valley Restoration project. It is set to receive $40,000 from DoC's Community Conservation Fund; the single largest amount of money for a project in this funding round.

Volunteers planting in the Kopurererua Valley.

The Tauranga Rotary Centennial Trust is spearheading the project that is replanting the valley with native plants. The trust is seeking to use the money to purchase over 10,000 plants that will be planted in a wetland area in the valley.
This is part of a larger 15 year, 350 hectare restoration project which included the ‘Camouflage the Valley' day earlier this year.
Two other Bay of Plenty projects were awarded money from the fund also.
HELP Waihi was awarded just under $10,000 for a restoration project in the Karanagahake Gorge. HELP”s Warwick Buckman says this funding will go a long way to helping the project.
'We have been working on this for two years now in bits and pieces but this grant will help us plant a big area.”
HELP plans to start its work in May 2010 and is currently seeking volunteers to assist.
The Te Puna Estuary management Group has also received some funding to help restore freshwater and saltwater habitats around Jess Road, Te Puna.