In recognising that an ageing demographic can be an advantage, Condamine Alliance designed a project to engage the skills and knowledge of retirees in a network that can be tapped by Landcare and other community-based volunteer groups engaged in natural resource management.

The project is being funded with a $20 000 contribution from Blueprint for the Bush.

Minister for Main Roads and Local Government Warren Pitt, who approved the funding, said "The purpose of the funding is to assist the organisation to conduct a feasibility study into using an existing group of skilled retirees to achieve land management practices with minimal environmental impact on rural residential communities."

While the network will be a resource for the whole catchment, initially it will concentrate on the rural residential or peri-urban areas on the outskirts of the main urban centres such as Toowoomba.

Not only are population growth rates high, but these populations are extremely diverse and challenging to engage in natural resource management.

Condamine Alliance CEO Phil McCullough said "The land they occupy is often critical in relation to environmental impact, but the land owners often lack management skills and access to information targeted to their needs."

"This project will help fill the gaps and boost the capacity of the community to identify and manage critical natural resource management issues in the Condamine catchment," Mr McCullogh said.