Author Archives: Bushcare Office

Books to Read

Gum: The story of Eucalypts and their champions. By Ashley Hay. Published by NewSouth, 2021.

Fen, Bog & Swamp: a short history of peatland destruction and its role in the climate crisis. By Annie Proulx. Published by Scribner 2022.

A Primer of Ecological Restoration. By Karen Holl. Published by Island Press 2020.

Flames of Extinction: The race to save Australia’s threatened wildlife. By John Pickrell. Published by NewSouth 2021.

Opportunity to join the Grasstree Fellowship

What is the Grasstree Fellowship?

It’s a special training program that has been created for community members, with community input and feedback built into the design. Conservation Volunteers Australia have partnered with two skilled guides (Lina Patel and Matt Wicking) to offer the Grass Tree Fellowship: A special online learning program for up to 50 people who have a connection to or live in the Blue Mountains LGA. Through a facilitated series of evening workshops, participants will be offered opportunities for growth and learning – with the aim of creating stronger, healthier communities and ecosystems for all. 

When the heat is on and the flood waters are rising, we step up and pitch in. We find ways to do what’s needed to support those around us.

In the wake of those moments, we have the chance to find a little space to focus on how we’re working together to make meaningful change happen in the world.

That’s what the Grass Tree Fellowship is about: A freetraining program designed around four online evening workshopsstarting on May 30 to support and empower the doers among us. 

The program will include the following skills training:

* Getting stuff done

* Working with groups

* Advocating for your project

* Staying buoyant and flexible

Registrations are now open for the Blue Mountains online leadership program, they close midnight Sunday 21 May.

You are encouraged to register for the program if you are living or active in the Blue Mountains region, part of a community group, team or network taking action together OR currently getting things done as a ‘team of one’. You must be 18 and Aboriginal and Torres Straits Islander people and people from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) background are strongly encouraged to register for the program. We have a maximum of 50 places available for the program.

The program is FREE to participate in, being funded by the Australian and the NSW Government under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements. 

Register here: Grasstree Fellowship Registration

Curious and want to find out more?

We have an online information sessions coming up where you will have a chance to meet the team and ask Matt and Lina, our programs guides, any questions you might have  – please register for the info sessions via the links below.

Thursday May 11 @ 11am

For further information, visit our webpage:

A CVA Leadership Initiative – Blue Mountains

Nelly and the Grasstree Fellowship Team

Grass Tree Fellowship
A CVA Leadership Initiative | Wild Futures | Conservation Volunteers Australia

e. grasstreefellowship@cva.org.au
w. cva.org.au

 

What is Bushcare?

Well the answer is different depending which volunteer you ask.

During last year whilst we were celebrating our 30th anniversary of the Council funded Bushcare and Landcare program we really wanted to hear from the volunteers what the program was to them.

Here are some of the answers

Blue Mountains host Volunteer Coordinators Network Meeting

By Steven Fleischman

Did you know that Blue Mountains City Council is a part of the Greater Sydney Landcare Network? Ranging from Campbelltown to The Northern Beaches, including National Parks and Wildlife Services, there are Bushcare groups in Sutherland, Campbelltown, Camden, Liverpool, Fairfield, The Hills district, Blacktown, Warringah, Lane Cove and the Northern Beaches.

On Thursday 9 March, members of the Blue Mountains Bushcare team hosted a Volunteer Coordinators Network (VCN) meeting of 25 Bushcare officers, Landcare coordinators, National Parks Officers and Local Land Services Officers from across Sydney.

Presentations by Program Leader Eric Mahony and Bushcare Officers Jane Anderson and Steve Fleischmann gave visitors deeper insight into Blue Mountains City Councils commitment to storm water management, our relationship with the local Aboriginal community and the remote Bushcare program.

After lunch attendees drove to Whitton Park, Glenbrook to hear Eric Mahony and Shane Grundy, from the Bush Doctor, talk about a bio filter they are building. With an aim of reducing nutrients and faecal coliforms going into local waterways, the biofilter is an important step to improving the health of local waterways.

Personally, I found it incredibly inspiring to meet other officers dedicated to working with their communities at improving the resilience and biodiversity of their local remnant bushland. I feel grateful to be a part of such a large and dedicated Bushcare community in the Blue Mountains.

Response from Volunteers Coordinators Network Meeting using the Bushcare is sign.

Trees Near Me App

Trees Near Me NSW offers a fun way to explore the native vegetation around you.

For those who like to look at mapping and want an interactive program at your fingertips to explore all of Plant Community Types (PCTs) across New South Wales, Australia. You can even go back in time to find out the plants that were in your neighbourhood before they were cleared. Trees Near Me NSW is based on Plant Community Types, or PCTs. PCTs are the finest level of classification in the NSW vegetation classification hierarchy.

You can download the app for your smart phone and find more information here:

https://treesnearme.app/