Results are back from this year’s survey. Thanks to all of you who participated.

So, what did you say?

To help you picture your responses, we’ve put them into nice graphs.

How would you like to receive information about Bushcare activities?

Emails from the coordinator and ‘monthly email’ ranked highly and, if they are combined (along with one vote for ‘email from officer’, rank well higher than Gecko, at 55 votes to Gecko’s 32. All other means ranked much lower — including the website, which scored just one vote. (We wonder whether the new Events section of this website might change a few minds. We’ll find out in the next survey.)

[easychart type=”pie” title=”How would you like to receive information about Bushcare activities?” groupnames=”Email from coordinator,Monthly email,Email from officer,Gazette,Gecko,Other” groupcolors=”fca789,fc5a3c,ff0000,a3c380,6095c1,9186bf” group1values=”29″ group2values=”26″ group3values=”1″ group4values=”8″ group5values=”32″ group6values=”6″ chartfadecolor=”ffffff” ]

(Low scoring responses included three for social networking sites, and one each for the website, pigeon [!], and ‘cloud something BM social network site’ — whatever that means. Text messages received no votes at all, which surprised us.)

How would you like Bushcare to be promoted locally?

A huge range of suggestions, many of them attracting just one proponent each. Which is why these sorts of surveys are not binding.

[easychart type=”pie” groupnames=”Gazette Articles (council page1),Adverts in Gazette,High quality insert in the Gazette,Weed of the Month in Gazette,Schools,Notices on boards,Stalls at various venues,Echo/Blueberry articles,Flyers (in cafes or letterboxes),Other” group1values=”17″ group2values=”16″ group3values=”1″ group4values=”1″ group5values=”13″ group6values=”11″ group7values=”10″ group8values=”4″ group9values=”7″ group10values=”29″ chartfadecolor=”ffffff” ]

‘Gazette Articles (council page1)’ received the highest number of votes, at 17, followed by ‘Adverts in Gazette’ at 16 votes. With a vote going to ‘High quality insert in Gazette’ and another to ‘Weed of the Month from Bushcare in Gazette’, our local newspaper was ahead of all other options, with a total of 35 votes, or just less than a third of the total of 108 votes.

The next most popular option was promotion in schools, with 13 votes.

11 votes went to ‘Notices on boards’.

‘Stalls at events and Markets’ attracted 7 votes, which could probably be augmented by the single votes for ‘Exhibition at Cultural Centre’, ‘At crop and swap’ and ‘Shopping Centre Table’, for a total of 10.

4 votes went to ‘Echo/Blueberry articles’.

3 votes for ‘Flyers cafés and letterboxes’ which, combined with 3 for ‘Letterbox drops’ and one for ‘Pamphlets at nurseries’, makes a total of 7.

‘Events’ also attracted 3 votes.

2 votes each went to ‘Garden Clubs’, ‘Door knocking and personal contact’, ‘Website’ and ‘Info boards at Bushcare sites’.

All other suggestions attracted one vote each, and included ‘Skywriting’, ‘Facebook’, ‘New residents kit info’, ‘Rates notices’, ‘Wires, BM Bird, meet like minded groups’, ‘Combined Christmas party’, ‘Food co-op’, ‘Theatre co’, ‘Churches’, ‘UA3’, ‘Link into open garden scheme/Hazelbrook’, ‘Radio’, ‘Senior programs’, ‘TAFE’, ‘Group profile’, ‘Volunteering NSW website’ and ‘Photo book on each site with before and afters.’

What could Council do to make our groups run more effectively?

[easychart type=”pie” groupnames=”No change needed,Keep support very important,Better integration within Council,More help with weed control,Other” group1values=”7″ group2values=”7″ group3values=”12″ group4values=”4″ group5values=”16″ chartfadecolor=”ffffff” ]

Another wide array of answers.

Most votes, at 7 each, went to ‘No change needed’ and ‘Keep support very important’.

However, combining ‘More support from other areas of Council’ (5), ‘Better consultation from other areas of Council’ (6) and ‘Integration with Council programs’ (1) gives a total of 12. In the graph we have labeled this combined total ‘Better integration within Council’.

‘More assistance with weed control on sites’ received 4 votes.

‘More tools’ and ‘More plants’ received two votes each.

And 1 vote each went to ‘Ways to reschedule due to poor weather’, ‘Grant funding’, ‘Weed identification photos or leaflets’, ‘Amalgamate small groups’, ‘More hours for bushcare officers’, ‘Tip fees paid for’, ‘Group Hub for info’ (could that be this website and its sub-sites?), ‘Good coordinator’, ‘Regular notification of events’, ‘More mid week slots especially in the mid mtns’, ‘Encourage new members to bushcare’, Open up options for new volunteers to join bushcare’, ‘Be nice to our council coordinator’, ‘Train up bushcare officers to work well with volunteers’, ‘Encourage feedback’ and ‘Pay the vols’.

What would make you feel acknowledged for your work with bushcare?

[easychart type=”pie” groupnames=”Nothing — not needed,Support from Council,Other” groupcolors=”8eaa91,fc5a3c,fed95e” group1values=”19″ group2values=”4″ group3values=”18″ chartfadecolor=”ffffff” ]

By far the greatest number of votes went to ‘Nothing — not needed’ at 19 votes.

‘Support from Council’ received 4 votes, but the type of support was unspecified.

‘Other’ responses ranged from awareness within the community (including various forms of publicity), through tip fee waivers or rate reductions, to small tokens of appreciation including certificates and branded items like hats and shirts.

In detail:

2 votes each went to ‘Response to group issues from Council as a whole’, ‘Wider awareness of activities in the community — education for residents’, ‘Picnic’, ‘Issues solved quickly’ and ‘Mayor’s speech from the picnic to go in Gecko’ and ‘Nice tea’.

1 vote each went to ‘Comments from neighbours’, ‘Tip voucher’, ‘Free training sessions’, ‘Invite people along to site to showcase our work’, ‘Minimise paperwork’, ‘Rate reductions’, ‘Document and share plans’, ‘Lift profile of bushcare’, ‘Hat or badge’, ‘Officer provides acknowledgment’, ‘Gazette article showcasing the work of bushcare’, ‘All volunteers in Council get-together’, ‘Shirts, hats branding’, ‘Individual volunteer certificates (length of service)’, ‘Photo of group in the paper’, ‘Photo of group on the website’, ‘Before and after photo exhibition’, ‘Roll of honour on the website — with permission’.

What would you like to learn more about at bushcare?

[easychart type=”pie” groupnames=”Native plant workshops,Weed identification workshops,Field guides,On-site supported learning,Fauna-ecology,Grasses workshop,Veg communities,Other” group1values=”19″ group2values=”17″ group3values=”11″ group4values=”8″ group5values=”8″ group6values=”5″ group7values=”3″ group8values=”24″ ]

19 votes went to ‘Native plant workshops’, and 17 to ‘Weed identification workshops’, making workshops the most popular option.

‘Field guides’ garnered 11 votes.

8 votes went to ‘On-site supported learning’.

8 also went to ‘Fauna-ecology’.

5 went to ‘Grasses workshop’.

3 want ‘Veg communities’.

2 votes each went to ‘Guided catchment walks’, ‘Evening talks’ and ‘Soil/insects’.

1 vote each went to ‘Reptiles’, ‘Geology’, ‘Hydrology’, ‘Microclimates’, ‘Intro to Bushcare’, ‘How to network with other groups’, ‘Fire resistant plantings’, ‘Track maintenance’, ‘Creekline maintenance’, ‘Fencing’, ‘Seed collection’, ‘Propagation’, ‘Fungi’, ‘Planning for your site’, ‘Noxious Weeds Act and treatment’, ‘Heritage walks including indigenous’, ‘Unusual things eg native bees’ and ‘Evaluation of the positive effects of bushcare’.