I am Charlie Shannon from Manildra and I am nine years old. I have been interested in the environment since I was little because of the amazing wildlife and plants.
At Manildra Public school I have started a Climate Club with 10 other kids because of how much wildlife is found at our school. We have made posters about Mt Canobolas and its wildlife.
At school we are trying to conserve the habitat of the superb parrot and other wildlife. Our climate club is thinking about raising money to save native plants and animals.
During the bushfires three billion animals died of dehydration, starvation or burns. We will donate the money from our fundraising to the World Wildlife Fund.
I have an interest in Mount Canobolas, especially the State Conservation Area because it is extremely diverse in species and has lots of rare and endangered animals, along with some endemic species such as the velvet worm; a small invertebrate, the flame robin; a black bird with red chest; the spider orchid; a plant with a pink flower and the unnamed planarian worm- a yellow worm that comes out after rain.
It is important that we protect the State Conservation Area (SCA) because if we don’t we will risk losing these rare and endangered species.
I like listening to Sir David Attenborough. He has taught me many things, especially that we are sleepwalking into a mass extinction. My opinion on climate change and the future of our planet is if we don’t fix our mess we will destroy our earth.
The reason I set up Climate Club is because kids like us are the future of the earth. We must know what we are doing wrong before it’s too late.
The earth is in the middle of a mass extinction, and humans need to understand that the more we take the more we lose. I think there needs to be more laws to protect our future and the future of our planet.
Charlie Shannon (age 9)
Published in the Central Western Daily on 21 August 2021
CCA - Save Mt Canobolas 