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
Margaret Baker has been awarded a Medal Of The Order Of Australia (OAM) in the 2022 Australia Day Awards. Bushcare would like to congratulate Margaret and thank her for her services both in training most of the team and for her presentations and sharing her plant knowledge.
The Gazette article can be found on page 8 if you missed this.
https://specialpubs.austcommunitymedia.com.au/fcn/bmg/3dissue/
The Christmas period is the time to reconnect with friends and family, so take the time out see the people you love and do the things you have missed over the past year.
The Bushcare team would like to wish all our volunteers and friends a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the volunteers in the program for caring for Blue Mountains Bushland and each other over this unsettling year.
Council is closing down over the 2021/2022 Christmas/New Year period from
Friday 24 Dec 2021 (from Midday) –until Tuesday 3 January. Some groups take a break in January so please ensure everyone is notified and we will see everyone back on site in February for our 30th year of Council support for this wonderful program.
Are you gaga about Gang-gang Cockatoos? Join BirdLife for a new project that will give you the knowledge and skills to take action to make a real impact on the conservation of this iconic species! Participants will help uncover the secrets of this charismatic but mysterious bird and contribute to research that will inform further Gang-gang Cockatoo recovery actions. We are seeking schools, urban/rural gardeners and rural property owners in target regions to participate. For more information and to register your interest click here.
Were Back- Bushcare service returns
Celebrating our Volunteers at the annual Bushcare Awards
Turtle Habitat Island
FrogFind- Volunteer callout
Post Fire Monitoring by Science for Wildlife
Blue Mountains Conservation Landscapes
Eucalyptus punctata (Grey Gum)
Farewell Monica
Welcome Sue
The Gecko is up on the BMCC website: https://www.bmcc.nsw.gov.au/environment/gecko
Lis at Planetary Health Initiative has been busy with the Healthy Waterways Team recording the crayfish count and with Amelia the ecologist talking and singing about pollinators.
Here is the link to the newsletter and you can subscribe to the newsletter at the bottom of this one. https://mailchi.mp/b6fde0a7be53/planetary-health-news-26-november
After a rather long break, Bushcare will be recommencing from Monday, November the 1st, 2021. We look forward to seeing you all again, being back out in the bush, working on our sites, and hearing what you have been up to during the last lockdown.
Our key consideration remains the health and safety of our community, our volunteers, and our staff. Accordingly, the Bushcare Program will recommence in line with NSW Government Public Health Orders.
• In November, 2021 – Blue Mountains City Council’s Bushcare activities will resume for fully vaccinated people and follow NSW Health Guidelines.
• In December 2021 – Changes in December, 2021 will see further restrictions easing (including non-vaccinated people) as per the NSW Health Orders. More details will be sent out closer to this date.
Resumption of Bushcare activities from November 1, 2021 through to December 2021 (as per the NSW Health Orders)
From November the 1st, 2021, Bushcare will resume for fully vaccinated people only in line with NSW Health Guidelines. Proof of double vaccination must be sighted before commencing the work session (records are not kept). Staff and volunteers are required to sign in using the NSW Health QR Code system.
A COVID safe toolbox meeting will be held for all volunteers to brief on the current BMCC COVID return plan before the workday commences. The toolbox talk will inform volunteers of current restrictions and requirements. The toolbox talk will be documented and signed off by all attendees (COVID 19 Protocol, staff to sign for the volunteers).
For the month of November, no new volunteers will be accepted.
On Bushcare workdays, the following safety practices and principles will apply:
Hygiene practices
• Maintaining a physical distance of at least 1.5m between volunteers and staff.
• Bushcare Officers to provide hand sanitizer/disinfectant/PPE.
• Regularly and thoroughly wash your hands for 20 seconds with soap and water or clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub.
• Masks are no longer mandatory outside.
• Maximum of 30 volunteers on a workday. Additional staff may be required to split the group to maintain safe numbers.
Cleaning of Equipment
• Volunteers bringing personal tools is encouraged; cleaning of tools will be the responsibility of the volunteer owner.
• Staff to ensure BMCC equipment is cleaned/disinfected before and after use as per current protocols.
Distribution of equipment and materials between volunteers and staff
• Volunteers will be encouraged to bring their own tools.
• Council will issue tools to volunteers by placing them on a table with one person at a time coming forward to collect.
• Herbicide applicators are to be placed on a table, with one person at a time coming forward to collect.
Provision of morning tea and food
• Whilst an important component of the social elements of Bushcare activities to reduce the risk of transmission between staff and volunteer’s morning tea breaks including food and tea and coffee for volunteers will be managed as follows;
• Volunteers are not permitted to bring food to share at Bushcare work sessions and events.
• Volunteers are to supply their own morning tea (for their consumption).
Maintaining site, WHS, and Volunteer attendance records
• Bushcare Officers only are to maintain all physical Bushcare Site record books. With Bushcare Officers only, permitted to handle the book and the pen and sign on behalf of volunteers attending. For those groups that maintain their book, the Volunteer Coordinator only handles the book and pen and will sign on behalf of the volunteers. A remark concerning ‘COVID 19 Protocol’ to be made on the signed sheet to ensure transparency of volunteers being signed for.
Volunteer self-monitoring – If you have a fever, cough, and difficulty breathing, do not attend and seek medical care early
• Stay home if you feel unwell. If you have a fever, cough, and difficulty breathing and seek medical attention. Follow the directions of your local health authority. Should any person attend a site and present with any symptoms of cold /flu, they should be directed to a COVID 19 testing facility and not be permitted to participate in any Bushcare activities until the results of the COVID test can be presented.
Stay informed and follow the advice given by your healthcare provider.
• Stay informed on the latest developments about COVID-19. Follow the advice given by your healthcare provider, your national and local public health authority, or Council on how to protect yourself and others from COVID-19.
• National and local authorities will have the most up to date information on whether COVID-19 is spreading in your area. Therefore, they are best placed to advise what people on your site should be doing to protect themselves.
NSW Government and Signage to be displayed.
Please note the plan is subject to ongoing NSW and Federal Government advice and directives resulting from Public Health Orders which may seek the reversal of the plan’s action. NSW Health website
Once again, we are celebrating our Bushcare volunteers through the eyes of the digital world. 2021 became the year bookended by COVID shutdowns much to the dismay of all. When lockdown lifted at the start of June last year we saw the impressive resumption of the Bushcare Program – a tribute to our dedicated Bushcare volunteers. And we know that with the same passion and dedication we can come out of this next shutdown with the same gusto!
Our Award Ceremony was held as a Zoom ceremony so everyone could view Mayor Mark Greenhill present the awards and hear the acceptance speeches live on their home computers. Congratulations to Rae Druitt receiving the Bushcare Legend Golden Trowel Trophy and our recipient of the Junior Bushcare Ryan Memorial Shield – Daemon Silk.
We thank David King, Gundungurra man, for the Welcome to Country and talk. We included a couple of talks with John French and Fiona Lumsden showing their recent survey Birds in The Gully, and Megan Halcroft talking about native bees in preparation for pollinators week.
Our ‘Thank you” gift to our volunteers is a cool Cooler lunch bag that will be presented to you by your Bushcare Officer when you all come back together onsite – with the personal touch!!
Photos: Golden Trowel and Junior Shield Award and the Cooler Lunch Bag Thank You gift to our volunteers Credit: BMCC
Group Awards
Celebrating years of service to Bushcare
| 25 Years | |
| Charles Darwin /Jamison Creek Bushcare | Wentworth Falls |
| Sublime Point Bushcare | Wentworth Falls |
| 20 Years | |
| Mt Riverview Bushcare | Mt Riverview |
| 15 Years | |
| Glenbrook Lagoon Bushcare | Glenbrook Lagoon |
| Valley Heights (Benoit Park) Bushcare | Valley Heights |
| Long Angle Gully Landcare | Warrimoo |
| North Lawson Homeschoolers | Lawson |
| 5 Years | |
| Bush Place Bushcare | Glenbrook |
| Raymond Street Bushcare | Blaxland |
| Seed Collection Group | Various |
Individual Awards
By Steven Fleischmann
Following the 2019 / 2020 bushfires enormous loads of soil stored weed seed was stimulated in the Popes Glen creek riparian zone, creating dense thickets of mostly Gorse and some Broom which was stifling regrowth of ferns, Acacias, Eucalyptus and other native pioneers.
Recognising a potential to undo over 30 years of restoration work, BMCC and NPWS officers moved quickly to engage contractors, in house teams and volunteers to tackle the problem.
Post fire regrowth of weeds like Gorse and Broom can present a great opportunity because it can exhaust seed stored in the soil, making long term management of the area easier.
BMCC Officers James Bevan and Steven Fleischmann and NPWS Ranger Grant Purcell agreed that a series of combined Swampcare and Remote Bushcare days were necessary to support work being undertaken by contractors and in house teams.
30 Volunteers from the Swampcare, Remote, National Parks and Landcare networks meet on Saturday 10 April at Govetts leap carpark to be supervised by staff from BMCC and NPWS.
Deliberately keeping groups small, to be mindful of environmental sensitivities post fire, volunteer groups were assigned a supervisor, an area to work, inducted into safe working methods, provided with morning tea and lunch and then walked to the areas they were assigned.
Many of the larger plumes of Gorse have been sprayed and were either dead or dying back, however, all groups reported finding large volumes of Gorse and Broom with some of the larger ones being up to a meter tall.
Due to recent flooding, work was made significantly more difficult with large volume of sediment and vegetation that had been laid flat.
By the end of the day everyone was exhausted, so the cakes and tea provided were very gratefully received.
A follow up event is planned for spring to search for plants coming into sexual maturity. This is important because Gorse and Broom produce a lot of seed that last between 50 and 85 years in the soil, and we don’t want to lose the opportunity of exhausting the historic volume of weed seed stored in the soil.
This project was made possible with funding from the Greater Sydney Local Land Services.
