Have you ever wanted to learn more about different fungi and where to look for them?
Volunteer Gemma Williams has offered to lead us into this fascinating and colourful world and help identify down to the genus level.
You don’t need any previous knowledge, just a keen eye for spotting and an interest to learn more. Bring suitable sturdy walking boots for uneven, muddy tracks.
For further information contact Alison on asteele@bmcc.nsw.gov.au or on 4780 5320
Re-scheduled from the 23rd May
Come and learn about the bushland in Hazelbrook. This series of walking and weeding involving some easy weeding followed by an interesting walk in the local area.
Bookings Essential. Book by Thursday 25 May.
Clicking the RSVP below (preferrable) or contact Nathan on nsummers@bmcc.nsw.gov.au or on 4780 5623
Come and learn about the bushland in Hazelbrook. This series of walking and weeding involving some easy weeding followed by an interesting walk in the local area.
Bookings Essential. Book by Thursday 24 March.
Click the RSVP below (preferrable) or contact Nathan 4780 5623 or nsummers@bmcc.nsw.gov.au
Come and join our Post-fire Koala Surveys and help us learn where koalas have survived the fires in the Blue Mountains region.
We’ve opened up some more places for volunteers on our first round of scat surveys, so there is still an opportunity to sign up!
The data we collect will provide vital information for planning conservation action and koala population recovery. We need to know where the koalas are, so we can allocate resources to protect them.
Register HERE to volunteer for post-fire Koala surveys
Site 1: Hawkesbury/SE Wollemi National Park
Week 1: Tue 6th – Fri 9th Oct 2020 – complete
Week 2: Wed 14th – Fri 16th Oct 2020.
Week 3: Tue 20th – Fri 23rd Oct 2020.
Week 4: Wed 28th – Fri 30rd Oct 2020.
Week 5: Tue 3rd – Fri 6th Nov 2020.
Week 6: Tue 10th – Fri 13th Nov 2020.
The Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area is 1 million hectares in size, and 80% of it was impacted by fire. Within this region we had identified 5 koala study sites where koalas were known to occur: we are heartbroken that four of those sites have had 75% or more of koala habitats impacted by fire. That’s why we need your help. Mapping where koalas still occur across the mountains after the fires is a critical first step in helping us to understand how the fire impacted their populations. One koala can use anything from 5ha to 300ha of land each year, and they also use trees that are over 45m tall in some areas so they can be extremely hard to see. That’s where scat surveys come in.
Scat surveys are a great way to discover what different species have been up to when no-one was around to observe them. They are particularly effective for finding animals that are only in low densities after the fires. This project involves carrying out koala scat surveys across a range of different burn intensities and habitats, to find out where koalas survived. You’ll also encounter scats from other species along the way and learn about scat identification techniques. You can also pick up some basic eucalypt identification skills as we will identify the tree species that we find koala scats under. Come and learn the art of scatology!
You don’t need to sign up for the whole week – when you register to volunteer it will give you the option to select the days you’re available. However, it takes a while to get your eye in for scat counts, so we’d like all participants to commit to helping for a minimum of 2 days over the whole survey period (they don’t necessarily have to be within the same week). Beyond that, you can come out as often as you’d like! Our schedule will depend on weather, fire risk ratings, and land access, but we will endeavor to go out on the dates listed below.
The data we collect will provide vital information for planning conservation action and koala population recovery. We need to know where the koalas are, so we can allocate resources to protect them. We are also undertaking ecological studies of koalas at some sites, including tracking them to work out where they move and how they use the landscape after fire. This information is then shared with land managers so that we can work together towards koala population recovery. We can’t promise that you’ll see a koala, but you’ll be making a big contribution as the scat surveys will help us to map where koalas have survived after the fires. Seeing the impact of the fires on this beautiful area can be difficult to take, especially in the badly burnt areas, so please consider this when choosing to volunteer.
Register HERE to volunteer for post-fire Koala surveys
Scat surveys will be undertaken in South East Wollemi National Park around Bilpin, Colo Heights and north off Putty Rd, and also on public land in the developed areas around Kurrajong, Grose Vale and Upper Colo. You’ll need your own transport as there is no public transport to the survey sites. All survey sites will be accessible by 2WD vehicle, otherwise we will ferry you in our 4WD from a nearby point.
Once you have selected tickets to register below, you will receive more details on the exact area you’ll be surveying with us, and where to meet, etc.
First thing in the morning you’ll be given a brief overview of the Blue Mountains Koala Project, then a safety briefing, and then you’ll have a quick practice spotting some koala scats on the ground. Depending on how long the walk to each survey site is, we plan to complete around 4 scat searches per day, possibly more.
Each scat search will be done inside a quadrat that we will measure out when we get there, using removable flagging tape. Then we will all search the leaf-litter, and see what we can find! We’ll also check what tree species are around, to confirm that the vegetation type on the map matches what is actually on the ground (this is called ground-truthing). Then we will check to see if the burn intensity matches the satellite fire mapping. When we find a koala scat, we will first have an excited celebration, then we mark a GPS point and identify the nearest tree species. In some places koala scats might be rare, but you’ll hopefully find scats from wallabies, wombats, and other native critters. We hope to find lots of signs of life out there.
The survey locations can be remote so you must be competent in bushwalking off-track, i.e. through sometimes thick understorey vegetation, and up and down forested slopes. Some sites will be on ridgelines, others in valleys and along creek lines. A reasonable level of fitness is required as sometimes the slopes are steep. A team leader will take you to each site using a GPS so you don’t need bush navigation skills – unless you’d like to have a try while you’re with us.
FAQs
Are there a minimum age requirement to enter the event?
The surveys involve long days in the field, plus a lot of walking. For that reason the event is not suitable for children. You can use your judgement for older children (over 15) if they have been on long bushwalks with you and enjoy a full day in the bush, but please note that if we are surveying a remote site then it would be difficult to return to the vehicles sooner than planned except in cases of emergency.
What should I bring into the event?
There are no shops nearby so you’ll need to bring a day-pack and carry your own water (a guide is at least 2L per person per day), lunch and snacks, plus sunblock and insect repellent. A personal First Aid kit is also a good idea, your team leader will also have a First Aid kit. Wear hiking boots with ankle support, and long trousers (bring gaiters if you have them), plus a long-sleeved shirt and hat. The bush can be spikey so leggings are not advisable. Gloves are optional but can be handy (pun intended), particularly if you don’t want to directly handle the scats. The weather in the mountains is changeable so bring a waterproof jacket and appropriate layers to stay warm. Please check the weather forecast before you leave. There are no toilets nearby so be prepared to make a bush toilet stop if needed (dig a hole and bury your waste, at least 100m from any waterway).
How can I contact the organiser with any questions?
Send an email to info@scienceforwildlife.org and include the Post-fire Koala Surveys in the subject line. During the event and during other fieldwork over the next few months we will be out of mobile phone coverage so email is the most reliable method of contacting us. You can also send a text to Victoria, on 0421 778 845 but please note that it will not be received until the end of each day, or possibly the next day. Please note that once you’ve registered via the ticketing process we’ll be sending you some more information by email, including where and when to meet each day.
Project Partners Science for Wildlife is working in partnership with our core supporters San Diego Zoo Global, and the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (DPIE), who are providing support for us to understand post-fire koala distribution in the Blue Mountains region under the NSW Koala Strategy.
Watch our Koala Rescue During the Fires https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QliwpX8crg
National Geographic Article – After the Fires https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2020/07/australia-marsupials-struggling-after-fires/
In Celebration of Streamwatch and its 30th anniversary of three decades of independent Water Quality Monitoring in Sydney.
The 30th anniversary marks a celebration of the dedication and preservation by all the amazing volunteers, which make Streamwatch possible, keeping it one of the longest running water quality citizen science programs across Sydney.
Grab a cuppa, comfy chair and your computer to join us for this online event.
Guest speakers:
This 30th anniversary marks a celebration of the dedication and preservation by all the amazing volunteers! Which make Streamwatch possible, keeping it one of the longest running water quality citizen science programs across Sydney. Initiated by Sydney Water and the Sydney Catchment Authority. From it’s humble beginnings, Streamwatch started with a trial of 15 schools in 1990. From 1991 to 1994 Streamwatch became a project of the Special Environment Levy Trust.
The Streamwatch program originally had a focus on curriculum implementation in secondary schools, but quickly extended beyond schools into a citizen science program. Similar programs were emerging in other states, the famous Round Table conference in Cobram, Victoria, led to cooperation in developing community water quality monitoring programs. This led to Waterwatch Australia being established as the umbrella coordinating group for developing community water monitoring.
In 2000, Streamwatch was renamed as Waterwatch for all areas outside of Sydney Water’s area of operation. Since it all began, there have been over 1,100 Streamwatch groups who have monitored water quality at over 1,060 sites, and have contributed almost 31,000 data sets to the online database.
These groups have been spread across greater Sydney, the Blue Mountains, Illawarra and Southern Highlands regions. As of June 2019, the Streamwatch program is in transferring from the Australian Museum to Greater Sydney Landcare Network.
Are you wanting to be part of this “Blue Mountains Frog Search” citizen science project?
The ‘Blue Mountains Frog Search’ citizen science program aims to monitor three key threatened frog species around the Blue Mountains region using acoustic data loggers. These data loggers will be installed near waterbodies across various sites and allow for the detection of frog species using their unique calls. As part of the project, citizen scientists have the opportunity to manage an acoustic data logger (including installation, maintenance and retrieval), as well as learn how to identify the unique calls for each frog species and analyse the data collected. Training will also be provided in the use of mobile phone apps, such as ‘iNaturalist’ and ‘FrogID’.
Online training is currently being provided via Microsoft Teams, however this will be extended to include face-to-face workshops and field trips in the coming months. If you are interested in becoming involved in the project or would like to know more, please contact Alana at Alana.L.Burton@uon.edu.au or on 0448 462 004.
By Tracy Abbas
In early December 2019, Blue Mountains Bushcare delivered the second and eagerly-anticipated Seed Collection Workshop held in Blaxland Library and Community Centre. Tracy Abbas, Council’s Bushcare Officer, organised this exciting event with seed expert Richard Johnstone. Richard was a former seed collector at Mount Annan Botanic Gardens but now plays another important role; as a volunteer with Wildplant Rescue Nursery.
Richard generously shared his immense experience and knowledge, providing attendees with a solid foundation in the principles, procedures and protocols for collection and storage of local native seed.
This Workshop was set at intermediate level, designed to strengthen the knowledge and existing skills base. It was attended by volunteers from Bush Backyards and Bushcare Groups, as well as volunteers from the Blue Mountains Conservation Society and Wildplant Rescue Nurseries.
The Workshop format was designed around both theoretical and practical sessions. The day began in the classroom viewing a powerpoint presentation showing the overview of the day’s events, and covered regulations and legislation when collecting seeds on Council Land. For the second session, the group wandered around the field looking for examples of seeds, flowers and fruits. Richard then showed everyone how to assess seed ripening stages and when was the most appropriate time to collect seeds.
Finally, it was back to the classroom for a discussion, participating in some cleaning of previously collected seeds and reviewing various methods of propagation of a number of different species.
The Workshop was a great success and we plan to conduct another session early in 2020 with the theme of propagation.
STOP PRESS (Tuesday, March 18): This event has been POSTPONED due to coronavirus concerns. We look forward to hosting this event at a future date.
Come along to the Jamison Creek Catchment Crawl. Visit Pitt Park, Central Park and Canberra St and learn about how the biofiltration system works. Listen to expert talks and information, learn about the water sensitive city strategy and find out about the Jamison Creek protection project. A delicious moring tea will be provided.
Meet at the carpark out the front of Pitt Park, Matcham Ave, Wentworth Falls. (will return to Pitt Park at the end of the event).
Transport by mini bus (some people may want to travel in their own car).
4 people are attending POSTPONED Jamison Creek Catchment Crawl
RE_SCHEDULED DATE
Turtle Island is set to launch on Tuesday 10th March (re-scheduled date). A collaboration between Bushcare Volunteers, business and community is a floating, eco habitat designed to provide a safe nesting environment away from predation for the several species of turtles (and birds) found at Glenbrook Lagoon.
Bring sturdy footwear and a hat. Gum boots may be useful. Morning tea will be supplied. Please RSVP or contact Nathan Summers on 4780 5623 or nsummers@bmcc.nsw.gov.au
0 people are attending Turtle Island Habitat Launch – (Rescheduled)
