On the Web

…he bottom of each of the emails that you receive if you would like to unsubscribe just click the unsubscribe button at the bottom of the page. Options for your group For those interested you can add content to the bushcare website. There are two options that you can use depending on what type of information you would like the public to see. The group page that is static and has information about the group and where you work. An example of this can…

Autumn Gecko Newsletter

…In this Issue Keeping Cats Safe at Home Project Connecting to Nature Update Farewell to Linda Thomas Resolving a Bushcare Challenge Vale Chris Watson Sandstone Plateau Vegetation Green Waste Processing Sustainable Disposal of Weed Waste for Bushcare To view the online Gecko use the link below https://www.bmcc.nsw.gov.au/documents/gecko-newsletter-autumn-2022 https://www.bmcc.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/docs/Gecko%20Autumn.pdf

The Future is Wild

…8799833211321/ About these talks The Mick Dark Talk for the Future honours the generosity and legacy of Varuna’s patron, Mick Dark, and aims to inspire community discussion of environmental issues of local and global significance….

Wentworth Falls Waterways Festival – a great success!

…ys Festival held by Blue Mountains City Council, together with Kindle Hill School, Blue Mountains Grammar School, Wentworth Falls Public School and the Jamison Creek Catchment Community Group. Festival goers enjoyed walks, talks, workshops and displays on all things waterways – from crayfish and turtles, to how to have a water-sensitive home. Locals enjoying healthy waterways craft activities at Wentworth Falls Lake The festival offered creative a…

King of the Night Forest by Akos Lumnitzer

…m about lorikeet size up. Most owls I’ve seen in the Sydney basin have had Common Ringtail or Common Brushtail Possums in their talons when I saw and photographed them. Rarely have I seen them with other prey. However, since I have been observing the breeding pair near Glenbrook, I have noticed a higher number of bird prey items than mammals. Of course, since I was not at the other owls’ roosts every day of their life, I only have a small sample o…

The Gully Get-together 2015

…ources and getting together to work and plan we can learn about the issues common to other groups in the nearby area, develop a clearer picture of what’s going on in the catchment and why. And we’re combining our power to do something about it! and the same ground later, with a junior landcarer assisting Jane with watering The Gully Get-together was supported by the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage Save our Species funding and Environmental…

Bushcare Update – Making a Difference!!

…ence. We discuss world problems (sometimes solving them), get our hands dirty and go home with a real sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. We are not alone in our individual efforts, thinking we are only making a small indent – we are a community of over 400 people turning up each month, equating to 1,200 hours of environmental benefit to our future. We are also part of a much larger community with over 6000 Bushcare/Landcare groups Australia…

The Gully Get Together

…groups working in this catchment and get planting!! We are aiming to plant 400 plants on the day at the Upper Kedumba Bushcare site, to enhance the viability of a healthy riparian corridor, where major works have been completed with a protecting our places grant. We will have a lovely brunch and short talks by members of the groups on history, culture and health of the catchment and even some fungi id and info a fun..day ! To book for catering pu…

The 10 year anniversary of Blue Mountains City Council’s Swampcare and Save our Swamps Program was celebrated at a Swamp Symposium recently that highlighted the significant and award-winning achievements of swamp restoration in the Blue Mountains.
The one-day conference, which attracted 65 attendees, highlighted dedicated Swampcare volunteers who have contributed over 10,000 hours towards protecting Blue Mountains swamps.
Mayor, Cr Mark Greenhill, said the award-winning approach to swamp restoration is part of Council’s whole of catchment approach to environmental management.

“Swampcare is a vital part of Council’s highly effective volunteer program aimed at biodiversity conservation,” Cr Greenhill said. “We’re able to better protect and restore swamps across the city thanks to 75 dedicated Swampcare volunteers.

Blue Mountains Swamps are a biologically diverse plant community that occurs nowhere else in the world. The vegetation in these swamps range from low button grass clumps to large shrubs such as the Hakea and Grevillea species. The swamps provide essential habitat to several Threatened Species such as the Blue Mountains Water Skink (Eulamprus leuraensis) and the Giant Dragonfly (Petalura gigantea).

Council’s Upland Swamp Rehabilitation Program started in 2006 after Blue Mountains swamps were listed as part of the Temperate Highland Peat Swamps on Sandstone endangered ecological community.

In 2008 Blue Mountains and Lithgow City Councils formed a partnership to deliver the ‘Save our Swamps’ (S.O.S) project to restore the endangered ecological community across both local government areas. The project was supported by grant funding of $250,000 over 3 years from the Urban Sustainability program of the NSW Environmental Trust.

In 2009 the S.O.S. project received a $400,000 Federal Government ‘Caring for Country’ grant to expand the program to incorporate Wingecarribee Shire Council and Gosford City Council. The partnership resulted in the swamp remediation model being rolled out to over 95% of the endangered ecological community in the four local government areas.

The innovative integrated approach led to the project receiving four awards, including a special commendation in the United Nations World Environment Day Award for Excellence in Overall Environmental Management in 2011.

Speakers at the conference included Palaeoecologist, Dr Lennard Martin, who spoke on the ancient origins of swamps and Principal Scientist at the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage, Martin Krogh, who discussed the health of Newnes and Woronora Plateau Swamps.

Eric Mahony and Amy St Lawrence from Council’s Environment and Culture Branch also gave presentations. The day finished up with a field trip to the new soft engineering stormwater structures installed at the Leura catchment.

 

The Swamp Symposium was made possible by funding from the Office of Environment and Heritage ‘Save Our Species’ program, the new NSW Environmental Trust funded ‘Swamped by Threats’ project and Council.

 

Interested in Swampcare? Get involved by emailing schew@bmcc.nsw.gov.au or call the Bushcare office on 4780 5623.

On the web …

…the ‘eccentric’ Bradley sisters started bush regeneration – a movement that radicalised the battle against one of the greatest and oldest enemies of the Australian bush – invasive weeds. Environment Levy Report The new look Environment Levy Report (6 months July – Dec 2014) is completed. This is a comprehensive report on Levy-funded programs and achievements and is now up on the BMCC website at: http://www.bmcc.nsw.gov.au/sustainableliving/enviro…