NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service invites you to provide feedback on the Gardens of Stone
State Conservation Area draft Plan of Management and draft Master Plan. Submissions are open from 6 May to 5 July 2022.
The draft plans provide a framework for the future management of Gardens of Stone State Conservation Area.
To find out more or make a submission, visit www.environment.nsw.gov.au/consult
Submissions close 5 July 2022
environment.nsw.gov.au

We need your help – with just 5 minutes of your time.
Following recent extreme weather events the issues around wildlife conservation have become even more complex especially for species like koalas that inhabit developed areas. Through this survey Science for Wildlife hope to identify & address key issues surrounding our wildlife, but we need your help by telling us your thoughts on koalas!
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Koalashaveyoursay
Support for this survey kindly comes from the NSW Koala Strategy – Koala Research Plan

For all active volunteers you will receive a link to the Community Conservation Program Volunteer Survey from your Bushcare Officer.

Results from survey will inform review and update of the Community Conservation Program Plan (CCP). This is the plan that provides the way forward together for Bushcare and other programs that work towards conservation.

It is a short survey with 11 main questions and takes on average around 8 minutes to complete. By completing this survey it ensures Bushcare is providing the right service to help volunteers to conserve the natural areas of the Blue Mountains.

If you need a paper form to complete please ask your Bushcare Officer and they will get one to you.

Survey will be open until 15th May 2022.

After all the storms and ongoing rain recently, there was a major landslide on Glenraphael Drive, Katoomba.  The landslide is on NPWS land, but quite close to the Council Narrow Neck Bushcare site.  James from the Narrow Neck Bushcare Group took some amazing drone footage of that area, showing the extent of the landslide from a perspective not easily visible from the road.

Photo Credit: James Young

Jill Rattray, who was a long-term and valued member of the Blue Mountains Bushcare Team, passed away after a long illness. Jill leaves a legacy, restoring and protecting our natural environment in the Blue Mountains through her work with our current groups, many from their inception.

Her horticultural expertise and bushland management knowledge, combined with her love of our natural environment, and interest in people, made her a valuable member of our team. Jill was a great educator, teaching many of our bush regenerators and community at the Blue Mountains TAFE, as well as working with the local retail nursery industry in the mountains. The result is that the majority no longer stock environmental weeds.  Her musical interests also extended to the Gang Gangs Bushcare band.  

Jill will be sadly missed by her colleagues, and the volunteers who worked with her, and the community members she had touched.

Jill’s funeral will be held on Monday 21 March at 11am, at the Leura Memorial Gardens. 

With Traditional Custodians, our community, educators and researchers from a number of universities, Blue Mountains City Council is exploring opportunities related to planetary health initiatives at the former Katoomba Golf Course precinct (clubhouse and adjoining 30 hectares of public land). 
 
Our City is perfectly positioned to explore ways to care for our planet’s natural systems and share these solutions globally.  
 
Blue Mountains Mayor, Cr Mark Greenhill said: “Given the increase in natural disasters and the critical urgency to stop climate change now – as well as the need to protect our World Heritage Area – Council has established the Blue Mountains Planetary Health Initiative. Our community cares about planetary health – including the health of our environment, the health and wellbeing of our people and the health of all life. So with many stakeholders and our community we are looking at how the former Katoomba Golf Course site could be transformed, for the long-term benefit of our City and our community, and to create new job opportunities.”
 
Council is developing a Precinct Plan for the site and receiving specialist advice relating to urban design, environment, bushfire and transport matters. The plan will provide a holistic planning framework that guides the short and long term future land use of the site, and initial community feedback is being received until 14 April, 2022.

How you can get involved!

• We want to know – what opportunities you see for the former Katoomba Golf Course site? How do you think this site could be transformed to help restore planetary health?
• Share your vision with words or images or art online at: yoursay.bmcc.nsw.gov.au/katoomba-golfcourse-precinct-plan and take our survey to provide more detail.

 
We are accepting your thoughts until 14 April 2022.

Bushcare is launching an online registration with online training for volunteers.
This process will ensure Bushcare Officers can access your emergency contacts in the field and that you can keep your details up to date.

There will be online training added throughout the year starting with Health & Safety at Bushcare.

It will be compulsory for everyone to do this quick online training and we will offer support for those who would like some help. You will also have the ability to do this onsite with our iPad over the coming months.

Narrow Neck Bushcare Group

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/