Landcare & Community News |
Welcome to the July 2020 issue of the Greater Sydney Landcare & Community News. |
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| | Landcare update - Madeleine Florin
Regional Landcare Coordinator
The Landcare community within Greater Sydney is growing with two new Local Landcare Coordinators soon to join the Greater Sydney Landcare Community of Practice. These roles, one with the Parramatta River Catchment Group and the other with the Cooks River Alliance, will bolster the focus on healthy rivers in our region. We also look forward to working with Craig Aspinall, the recently appointed Aboriginal Community Engagement Officer in the NSW Landcare Program team. Creating canopiesThree good reasons to get involved in the Creating Canopies program in Greater Sydney. Planting 100,000 trees across Greater Sydney will cool the city, create habitat and increase tree diversity. Volunteer or register your site with Greater Sydney Landcare Network for Creating Canopies. For more information email [email protected] or call 4724 2147. Call out to landholders with wetlands and creeksDid you know the Hawkesbury Nepean Landcare Network can provide landholders with creeks and wetlands on their property support in wetland managment? Landholders in the Hawkesbury, Hills, Penrith and Blacktown areas can also learn how to minimise erosion and improve biodiversity. For more details contact Katherine Clare, Hawkesbury Nepean Regional Landcare Coordinator by email [email protected] or calling 02 4574 9604. | | | Kei apple - a threat to our local bush
We need your help to stop the spread of the highly aggressive pest plant Kei Apple which poses a significant threat to native bushland, agricultural production as well as livestock and people. Kei apple bears a fruit the same size and colour of small apricots and dangerous thorns on its stem.
NSW DPI is working to eradicate this weed and are urging community members to report it via your local council weeds officer.
Visit NSW weed wise HERE for more info | | Why we shouldn't feed wild dogsGreater Sydney residents are being warned not to feed wild dogs, following a series of close calls in the Blue Mountains area. Greater Sydney Local Land Services Biosecurity Team Leader Lee Parker said there had been a series of complaints from residents in the Wentworth Falls and Glenbrook areas of wild dogs roaming the streets, entering back yards and attacking domestic pets. Mr Parker said feeding feral animals was an offence under the NSW Biosecurity Act. Visit HERE for more details. | | | | Bushfire recovery effortsGreater Sydney Local Land Services (LLS) has partnered with Blue Mountains City Council to deliver a specialised bushfire recovery project, designed to get the badly damaged bush back from the brink. Now is the time to restore fire affected bushland on private property and council managed areas from erosion and weed invasion. Visit HERE for more details on how Council and LLS are working together on this fire recovery initiative.
| | | | WIRES inspires bushfire actionA $1 million grants recovery program developed by WIRES and Landcare Australia is providing a lifeline to environmental groups working to restore bushfire impacted habitat across the country. Visit HERE for details of projects.
| | The days are shorter, temperatures drop, but backyard birdwatching never stops!
Now is a great time to get involved in the Birds in backyards winter survey. First, you need to download the Birdata app HERE and take your smartphone or tablet outside with you and record all the birds you seen in your space in 20 mins.
Web instructions are HERE or view video instructions HERE. If you are unsure where or how to start, or even feel like you don’t know the first thing about birds only that you love to see them, then fear not! Urban Birds Program Manager, Dr. Holly Parsons, will be hosting a free webinar on how to use Birdata, bird ID'ing and how to complete a survey on Sunday July 5 at 2pm. Register here for this session. | | Story of CattaiThe Cattai Hills Environment Network have developed an educational resource called the Story of Cattai. Designed primarily for school students - from preschool to high school, the resource also provides inspiration for field days and other engagement activities. Visit the CHEN website HERE to download this fantastic resource. | | | | | | CitSci for social impact Check out this one hour webinar developed by the Australian Citizen Science Association on topics including bushfire recovery and using 'citizen science' as a tool for activism and awareness raising. Visit HERE to view the webinar. | | | Art in the fieldLearn how to create a nature journal from a professional natural history illustrator. Visit HERE to download instructions and view a video. | | | | Bandicoot talk - 13 August Join an online presentation on the North Head Bandicoot Monitoring Project. Visit HERE to register | | | | An online course to help you explore how to take action on climate change and other sustainability challenges in your community. Click HERE to register for this course. | | | Post fire bush regeneration resourcesAustralian Association of Bush Regenerators AABR have developed a range of resources to help volunteers and landholders undertake weed control after the recent fires. Click HERE to check out the resources. | | | Greener places design guideThis draft guide, developed by NSW Department of Planning Industry and Environment has been released for comment with submissions accepted till 7 August. Visit HERE for full details and to make a submissions. | | | | Site assessment program for Hawkesbury Wetlands 30 wetlands (including those on private property) in the Hawkesbury region are being assessed in the areas of water quality, habitat condition, disturbance levels. Threats and risks to wetlands and creeks will also be identified and help inform a management plan for wetlands in the catchment. Private landholders with wetlands on their property have access to support and workshops as part of this program. This project is funded out of the Australian Government's Communities Environment Program. Visit HERE for information about Hawkesbury Wetlands and email [email protected] or call 02 4574 9604 to enquire about this program. | |
Use Landcare Week to celebrate and acknowledge volunteers and networks across Australia working on conservation and sustainable land management activities in your local area. If you would like to share information about the groups in your region and their activities, please contact [email protected] to share your story. | | | The National Landcare Conference has been postponed and will now take place from 10-12 March 2021. | | If you would like to stay informed with what is happening around NSW please visit the Landcare NSW Gateway
| | Grants, Funding and Awards | - NSW Local Land Services has opened the Supporting our neighbours - public land boundary fencing program to help bushfire-affected landholders with the cost of rebuilding boundary fences adjoining public lands. Private landholders who share a boundary with public land and were impacted by the recent bushfires are eligible to receive up to $5,000 per kilometre to contribute to the replacement of damaged boundary fences. Grants can be issued retrospectively to cover costs already incurred. Click HERE to apply or call 1300 778 080.
- Macpac Fund for Good: Up to $10,000 for Environmental Projects. If you are part of a not-for-profit organisation working on environmental or social causes related to the outdoors, you may be eligible for a Macpac Fund for Good grant. Your activities need to be based in New Zealand or Australia, or their territories. For more information on the types of funding we provide, or to apply for a grant, please fill out this application form. 4 rounds are held each year - round 3 closes 31 July.
- Keep an eye on the Wettenhall Environment Trust's Small Environmental Grant Scheme, with four rounds every year. Grants are usually under $10,000 and focus on flora and fauna conservation or threatened mammal conservation. Click HERE for more information,
- The Sunrise Project Small Grants - up to $5,000. The focus is on reducing the impact of coal and gas industries on ecosystems.
- Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal - 'Tackling the tough times together grants' are always open. These grants help communities access the resources they need to support one another through the ongoing effects of drought. Grants of up to $20,000 are now available across drought-affected communities nationally. For more information, click HERE
| | This project has been assisted by the New South Wales Government through its Environmental Trust. | | |
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