As reported on ABC News today (27 May 2022), the NSW NPWS has provided Mountain Safety Collective with $10,000 in funding to enhance the daily Backcountry Conditions Reports for the NSW Main Range.

As our Lead Forecaster, Craig Sheppard, says in the article, "The grant is allowing us to continue to grow our field team in the main range of Kosciuszko National Park."

"We have a small group of professionals going out on a regular basis that help feed robust data into our system so that the reports are timely and accurate."

The article goes on to say “The wildlife service funding marks the first time a NSW body has shared support for the service. NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service alpine Queanbeyan area manager Anthony Evans said information available through the service would give winter back-country visitors a more accurate assessment about hazards such as risk of white-out, blizzard or avalanche.

"Consequently, this will help reduce the risk of death or injury in the alpine back country due to adverse weather and ground conditions, which also compound the difficulty of search and rescue operations," he said.”

Read the full article on ABC News here.

Craig Sheppard was also interviewed on ABC Radio about the new funding, which can be heard at the 37:55 minute mark here.