Money for school camp education gets axed

Education provided by the Department of Conservation at popular Borland Lodge school camps has been cut.

The department has been turned down by the Education Ministry for funding to continue employing an education ranger to teach children about the bush and conservation at the lodge.

Southland department ranger Leanne Keenan said an education ranger had been employed for the past 10 years, but funding ran out at the end of June and she was unsure if it would be recovered again in the future.

"It is a big blow to conservation in Southland. Children and their experiences are so important in regards to what they do as an adult.

"It's about creating opportunities for young people to connect with the outdoors. That might sound a bit green and fluffy ... (but) we really wanted people to come away from the likes of Borland Lodge knowing that this is a bit more than trees and bush," she said.

The cost to provide the education at the lodge and to schools in the region was about $100,000 a year, which included employing the ranger and resource costs.

Borland Lodge manager Peter Illingworth said schools were adapting to the change but "it was definitely a loss".

"It is grassroots getting out there where we can change their idea, for when they get older, of conservation," he said.

Ms Keenan said short term funding to provide education at Deep Cove had been found and a ranger would continue working with students until the end of the year.

However, it was unknown if that funding would continue next year, but the department would look into further ways to provide education in Southland soon.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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