Join our working party to help with preparations for the National Tree Day planting event on the following Sunday. Give as much time as you like. Many hands make light work!
Where: Nature reserve east of The Fair, North Watson; access and volunteer registration at park entrance Tay / Ian Nicol Streets; view this map.
Bring: Garden gloves, sun protection, drinking water and wear sturdy shoes and appropriate clothing for the weather condition.
Enquiries: Email
Click here for more information about The Fair project.
The ANU Intrepid Landcare crew at The Fair working party in June. (Photo: Waltraud Pix)
National Tree Day 2019 Planting @ The Fair – Sunday 28 July, 1pm – 4pm
Join in and help us at FoMM’s small National Tree Day planting to transform a weedy degraded area next door to The Fair in North Watson into a grassy woodland home for native wildlife. This year we will be planting only a small number of seedlings so please come early for a chance to plant. Volunteer registration opens at 12.45pm. Enjoy Timtams, cakes and hot drinks during the event. This year’s event will be the 7th stage of an ambitious community planting project in the nature park east of The Fair that began in 2012.
Where: Mount Majura nature reserve behind The Fair in North Watson; click on this map to view the planting area and the volunteer registration point.
Access: park entrance at intersection Tay St / Ian Nicol St close to the volunteer registration point or via nature park entrance Antill St roughly opposite Carotel for a 5-10 minutes walk to the planting site.
Car parking: along Antill Street opposite of Carotel; limited car parking space at The Fair and along Aspinall Street / Solstice.
Wear: Garden gloves, appropriate clothing and shoes, wrap up warmly.
Bring: A trowel or a small mattock if you have one; please label your items with your phone number so that we can reunite any left-behinds with the owner.
Enquiries: Email or phone 6247 7515
Contact during event: 0435 357 172
Click here for more information.
Planting underway at National Tree Day in 2018. (Photo: Jochen Zeil)
Tree Walk – Sunday 11 August 2019, 2pm – 4pm
Join local plant ecologist Michael Doherty as we take a walk through the woodlands of Mount Majura, looking at the characteristics of the common eucalypts and shrubs.Learn how to distinguish between Red Box, Apple Box, Yellow Box, Blakely’s Red Gum, Scribbly Gum and Brittle Gum. We will also see some relict Snow Gums in the saddle between Mt Majura and Mt Ainslie. On the way, we will hear of the ways that plants cope with drought and fire.
Where: Nature park entrance, Mackenzie Street nature park entrance roughly opposite Grayson Street Hackett; view this map.
Wear and bring: Sun protection, appropriate clothing for the weather sturdy shoes; drinking water.
Click here for more information.
Michael Doherty will be leading an information packed tree walk. (Photo: Waltraud Pix)
Other news and events:
Upcoming Parkcare Training and Events
4 September – Practical Chemical Training
11 September – Fringe Forum #3
26 September – Chemcert Training
17 October – First Aid Training
You can view the schedule in the documents section of the ParkCare Hub. The training activities will be open for registration (and visible as activities on the Hub) at around 4 weeks prior to each activity. FoMM needs a few more active weed sprayers, so please consider undertaking the Chemcert Training course!
Invasive species discussion paper consultations open – closes 10 July
The ACT government has opened consultations on a discussion paper on managing invasive species. The Government plans to declare another 380 animals as pests and now requiring licences for another 78 animals. You can comment on the invasive animal species that have been proposed for listing on the Pest Animals Declaration. Read more.
Conservation Council ACT Region Environment Exchange: Biodiversity Offsets – June 2019
Download the presentation by Associate Professor Philip Gibbons from the ANU Fenner School of Environment and Society entitled ‘A review of biodiversity offsets implemented in the ACT under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999′ here.
2019 NSW Threatened Species Children’s Art Competition
The 2019 competition is now open to children in NSW, VIC and the ACT from 5-12 years old. The Threatened Species Children’s Art Competition helps children unleash their artistic creativity while learning about the extinction crisis facing our native plants and animals to inspire and encourage the next generation of environmental leaders. We invite children to choose a threatened native species, then create a drawing or painting of it with an accompanying short explanation of their work. Seventy finalists will be chosen for a two-week exhibition with winners announced on 6 September. Closes 2 August. Read more.
Eucalypt photo competition
Eucalypts are the iconic tree of the Australian continent. They are the foundation of many Australian ecosystems and also underpin important industries. Since European settlement many Eucalypt species have declined dramatically. The Threatened Species Recovery Hub is undertaking a nation-wide assessment of the conservation status of Australian eucalypts, which includes the genera Eucalyptus, Corymbia and Angophora. The assessment will help conservation managers to understand which species are at risk and will also underpin a national conservation action plan for Australian eucalypts. To mark this significant milestone in eucalypt conservation the hub is holding a photo competition to celebrate the beauty and diversity of Australia’s eucalypts. Entries close 22 July 2019. Read more.
Bushcare’s Big Day Out – Australia-wide, 15 September 2019
Celebrating a day to restore and maintain Australia’s remaining bushland. Held annually in spring, Bushcare’s Big Day Out (BBDO) is a national day of community participation to restore remnant bushland. BBDO is a day designed to give every one of us the opportunity to find out more about our bushland. It’s a fun day where anyone can get involved and learn alongside experts. Activities can include weed removal, tree planting, mulching or even follow up maintenance on sites where rehabilitation has already begun. BBDO events are also a fantastic opportunity for sharing knowledge and expertise through activities like bird watching, plant identification workshops and species monitoring. Register here.