Location: All areas (forums, music, etc)
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Blue Mountains Bushcare Network
Coalition of individuals and representatives from Bushcare groups and other authorities interested in maintaining and restoring the integrity of bushland in the Blue Mountains. Provides a forum for Bushcare groups to exchange ideas and information, comment on issues, or initiate strategies.
Visit this group’s own website
Local contact: Paul Vale, phone 4787 8080
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Bushcare Trad Band
We aim to provide another connection within the bushcare community through the playing of music. The band has an inclusive philosophy and welcomes players of diverse abilities and backgrounds.
Year started: June 2015
The Blue Mountains Bushcare Trad Band aims to provide music for the Bushcare community. Its main role is to provide background music for the annual Blue Mountains Bushcare picnic, but it also meets informally through the year to play… just for fun! The Band is named after the introduced weed, Tradescantia Fluminensis, commonly known as Trad. ‘Trad’ is the name of an invasive weed with which many bushcare volunteers are familiar, but is also the shortened term for ‘traditional’ music. And this is the basis of the Trad Band’s style. The band welcomes players of diverse abilities and backgrounds, as long as they are competent with their instruments. Instruments must be acoustic for logistics and safety reasons. (We play outside, in parks.) The band can provide music for both concert pitch and transposing instruments, or chord charts and sound files for musicians who play by ear.
Local contact: Glen Parry, phone 4754 3182, email glen.parry@gmail.com
Alternative contact: Lachlan Davis, phone 4753 6129, email lachdavis@bigpond.com
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Fungi of the Blue Mountains
A special sub-website to share some knowledge about and images of fungi of the Blue Mountains
Visit this group’s own website
Bushcare officer: Karen Hising
For more information, please call Council’s Bushcare Section on 4780 5623, or use the form on the Join page
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Homeschoolers Bushcare
Meeting point: contact the Bushcare Officers
Bushcare officer: Nathan Summers
Alternative contact: Jane Anderson, email jlanderson@bmcc.nsw.gov.au
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Remote Bushcare Program
The Program coordinates with the NPWS as part of the Great Grose Weed Walk program, to reduce the number of weed propagules entering the Grose Valley and other wilderness areas.
Meeting day: Second Saturday of the month, 9:00 am to 3:30 pm
Meeting point: contact the Bushcare Officer
To learn more about what we do, visit the Remote Bushcare Program page on this site.
To participate, keep an eye on Bushcare Events emails. (Subscribe on this website.) You can find Remote event dates on this website’s events calendar.
Bushcare Officer Steve Fleischmann says:
A Bushcare volunteer once said to me that weed removal is similar to infection control in hospitals. If you do not do anything about it, the problem will worsen and cause significant problems that become more difficult to resolve. In the case of weeds, it means simplification of ecosystems. If the weeds persist in ecosystems the native plants will not thrive but if you get them when they are a small problem it is easy to resolve. The Remote Program aims to do just that.
The Remote Bushcare Program focuses on the more remote, lesser-visited sections of the Local Government Area where there may be ‘sleeper’ patches of priority weeds across the numerous conservation landscapes of the Blue Mountains, which may threaten downstream ecosystems, such as the World Heritage Area or water catchment.
Remote Bushcare days are characterised by being longer than a regular work session and as having significant and challenging access. Additionally, we usually work with our backpacks on, as the work tends to occur along creeklines.
Bushcare officer: Sean Moore
Local contact: Sean Moore, phone 4780 5623, email smoore@bmcc.nsw.gov.au
Alternative contact: Nathan Summers, email nsummers@bmcc.nsw.gov.au
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Seed Cleaning Group
Meeting day: First Saturday of the month, 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Meeting point: contact the Bushcare Officer
Bushcare officer: Tracy Abbas
Land manager: BMCC
For more information, please call Council’s Bushcare Section on 4780 5623, or use the form on the Join page
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Seed Collection Group
This group does a range of activities including; seed collection, plant rescues, propagation activites, workshops and seed cleaning.
Visit this group’s own website
Meeting day: Second Tuesday of the month, 10:00 am to 3:00 pm
Meeting point: contact the Bushcare Officer
Locations across the Council area, advised beforehand by email from the Bushcare officer.
Email Tracy to receive emails about upcoming events — or if you wish to visit on a particular work day.
Bushcare officer: Tracy Abbas
Local contact: Tracy Abbas, phone 4780 5623, email tabbas@bmcc.nsw.gov.au
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Swampcare -Roaming Program
A group that conducts ecological restoration in Blue Mountains Swamps.
When: 6 times per year, on Thursdays, 9:00 am to 3:00 pm
Meeting point: Mid - Upper Mountains
Swampcare takes you to some beautiful places, like the Rocklea Swamp at Hazelbrook. Swampcare events are integral to the Threatened Species program.
The program provides a series of six full day events a year, and volunteers are welcome to attend any or all of them. These are catered events so please RSVP with James (Bushcare Officer) via jbevan@bmcc.nsw.gov.au to book your place and for the meeting location.
Working in swamps has its own appeal and attracts regular experienced volunteers. It does not always, or even often, mean working in the mud! Most Swampcare events are suitable for new volunteers, with training provided on site. All sites are within a short walk from road edges.
To learn more, visit the Swampcare page.
To participate, watch for Swampcare updates via Bushcare Events emails (subscribe if you are not already signed up), or via this website’s events calendar.
Bushcare officer: James Bevan
Local contact: James Bevan, phone 0414 195 528, email jbevan@bmcc.nsw.gov.au
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The Pollinators
This is the place for all information on pollination. The group delivered a bee hotel making workshop at the picnic and has a few more projects planned.
Visit this group’s own website
Meeting point: contact the Bushcare Officer
Bushcare officer: Jane Anderson
Local contact: David Rae, email awayami43@yahoo.com.au
Alternative contact: Jane Anderson, phone 4780 5623
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Woody Weed Wander Bushcare Group
This Group works in various locations across the Mountains, treating/removing stands of woody weeds.
Visit this group’s own website
Year started: 2019
Meeting day: First Friday of the month, 9:00 am to 12:00 pm
Meeting point: Mid - Upper Mountains
The Bushcare Officer will send out an email to advise of the meeting place for each work session. A schedule will also be updated regularly for confirmed and possible future work opportunities and locations.
Bushcare officer: Karen Hising
Land manager: BMCC
Local contact: Karen Hising, phone 4780 5623, email khising@bmcc.nsw.gov.au
Alternative contact: BMCC Bushcare Team, phone 4780 5528