Many of our
projects are aimed at restoring our waterways and farmlands so that they are
great for stock, great for wildlife and great for people too. Scientific evidence and the experience of
pioneering local land managers like John Weatherstone show that a property with
around 30% of its area planted to trees can be more productive than just bare
paddocks. We want to do all we can to
promote and implement ways of revegetating our landscapes to make them more
productive, biodiverse and beautiful.
Better Water:
Better Life
We have received
funding from Landcare Australia to assist us to improve the health and water quality
of our waterways and dams. Our main
emphasis is on showing how we can markedly improve the quality of our water by
using native plants which are the cheapest and most effective water filters we
will ever find. We will be organising a
number of field days with guest speakers who will show us how we can
rehabilitate these areas. Participants may
also be able to take some plants home.
Southern Pygmy Perch
and Yellow-spotted Bell Frog Recovery Plan
Some of our funding
will be used to develop a recovery plan for the Southern Pygmy Perch and
Yellow-spotted Bell Frog. Three eminent
retired CSIRO/academia fish scientists [known to us as “The Three Wise Men”] have
agreed to help us develop this plan. Plans
of this sort are not new but they tend to cover a wider region. Ours will be, we believe, the first ever
local recovery plan developed. As well
as sharpening up our current efforts and giving us a clear action plan for the
future, the recovery plan will be a big advantage in attracting the substantial
funding we think will be essential to achieve a major turnaround in the
fortunes of the fishes, frogs and our local environment.
Oolong Creek,
Dalton
We have been working with the Dalton
Community Association to remove woody weeds and replace them with native
plants. During this work two local
youngsters found two fish which they rightly believed to be a previously undiscovered
remnant population of Southern Pygmy Perch – only the fourth population known! While this very small population is under
great stress, it is a very hopeful and inspiring find for us. We will continue to maintain and improve
this area
Dalton School
Bush Block
Dalton Public
School, its P&C Association, GDL and Greening Australia are protecting and
enhancing the Endangered Yellow Box Community that adjoins the school. Guided walks with interpretative signage will
make this significant bush block an ideal Outdoor Education Centre.
Gunning Village
We have begun
working with Gunning Primary
School to further develop local kids' understanding and interaction with their
local environment. GDL also has riparian
plantings around Barbour Park and Meadow Creek, including the Bruce Bray Riparian Walk with
interpretative signage. We hope to
realise the potential offered by these sites, together with others such as the
Golf Club, to be linked and enhanced to the benefit of the community and the
local environment.
Making the
Gunning District a “No Go” Zone for the Feral Fox
There are some 10,000 feral foxes in the wider Gunning district. They are huge environmental and economic menace. While individuals and authorities have been battling the fox for years, these efforts have been patchy and only partially successful.
GDL wants to have a real impact on this problem and have set ourselves the ambitious but achievable goal of reducing fox numbers by at least 90%. We have been working with South East Local Land Services to develop a sustained and strategic attack on fox numbers across the district and surrounding areas. Foxes will always be with us but we know that if neighbors work together to eradicate foxes over a wide area then we can have a really significant impact on their numbers.
We have established a network of group organisers and will be undertaking at least two major baiting programs each year. Our first group baiting was a huge success with over 5,400 baits going out over the district. Action on this scale has to make a difference. If your property is 10ha or larger, we ask you to consider joining us.
We offer free training so you can use
the necessary 1080 baits safely, ethically and effectively.
While 1080, used strategically, is an essential element of our campaign against the fox it is not the only one, We will be adopting other control techniques over time. And there are other feral pests damaging our environment which we cannot ignore. But we must start somewhere and the feral fox is our no 1 priority for now. We are confident that, working together in a concerted and persistent way, we can eliminate the fox as a serious environmental problem in our district. And maybe see a return of some native animals which the fox has driven to near extinction.
While 1080, used strategically, is an essential element of our campaign against the fox it is not the only one, We will be adopting other control techniques over time. And there are other feral pests damaging our environment which we cannot ignore. But we must start somewhere and the feral fox is our no 1 priority for now. We are confident that, working together in a concerted and persistent way, we can eliminate the fox as a serious environmental problem in our district. And maybe see a return of some native animals which the fox has driven to near extinction.
The Hunt for the
Mundoonen Koala
In 2005 a local landcare
member made the first confirmed sighting of a koala in the Mundoonen Nature
Reserve. This was an occasion for great
delight. Are koalas still there now? Some of us have been helping NPWS Rangers to undertake surveys to see if we
can find evidence of their presence. These
surveys will be he held from time to time and members are invited to join the
search groups.
