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1. HABITAT ACTION GRANT FOR RIPARIAN RESTORATION AT WYRALLAH – $14,425This project will address three major contributors to declining water quality in the mid Wilson Catchment. The loss of riparian and aquatic habitat, stream bank erosion, and compaction of the riverbank due to ongoing access by cattle. Habitat Action Grants are funded from the Recreational Fishing Trusts which direct revenue generated by the NSW Recreational Fishing Fee towards onground actions to improve fish habitat and recreational Fishing in NSW. Post February, 2022 flood work will focus on bank stabilisation works.
This $200,000 project is a partnership between Lismore City Council and Friends of the Koala. It will strengthen partnerships between land managers, Landcare and local government. The project also aims to increase community capacity while raising awareness, specifically targeting the rural sector. Professional bush regenerators will be engaged to restore the conservation values of riparian vegetation and expand and strengthen koala habitat, corridors and linkages. Koalas are at risk due to habitat fragmentation. Restoration work will serve to strengthen species migration pathways and create fauna refuges for other species, specifically flying-foxes, while re-establishing linear corridors that allow unrestricted movement. Many thanks Julie
This site has just been funded by the Foundation for National Parks for a further three years bringing the total investment for 2021 to 2023 to $30,000. Julie Reid EPM has been involved in project implementation and coordination on this VCA property since taking part in a fauna survey in 1998. The property is rich in threatened flora and fauna species recorded in a diverse range of habitats. Funding has been sourced over the years from a number of bodies including the Catchment Management Authority and the Foundation for National Parks. The riparian zone contains threatened species such as Giant Ironwood, Thorny Pea and a viable population of Pale Vented Bush Hen. The vegetation on this property is diverse with species typical of lowland subtropical rain forest. This dominant vegetation community has a tall open tree layer of eucalypts home to koalas. The upper slope forms part of a regional corridor that extends 14.5 kms from the Nimbin Rocks escarpment. The main threat to this high conservation value site is lantana infestation, funding is currently aimed at reducing the extent of this Weed of National Significance.
This $100,000 project focuses on strengthening partnerships with land managers, Landcare and local government as well as increasing community capacity and awareness, specifically targeting the rural sector. The project will be coordinated by Julie Reid on behalf of Friends of the Koala and will run over three years. Professional bush regenerators will be engaged to restore the conservation values of riparian vegetation and expand and strengthen koala habitat, corridors and linkages. Riparian corridors on the Wilson River floodplain will be restored and landowners will plant paddock trees to reduce threats to koalas. Restoration work seeks to strengthen koala migration pathways and create fauna refuges for other species while re-establishing linear corridors that facilitate movement. Woody weeds, specifically coral tree, will be replaced with koala food trees and endemic lowland subtropical rainforest species.
The three year project valued at $99,200, will create partnerships with land managers from state and local government as well as educational and community groups. Professional bush regenerators will be engaged by Friends of the Koala to restore the conservation values of remnants in East Lismore creating links within the urban fringe. Threatened species are at risk due to the stresses placed on them by fragmentation of habitat. Restoration work will serve to strengthen species migration pathways and create fauna refuges while re-establishing linear corridors that allow unrestricted movement on the urban perimeter. Environmental weeds dominant in Lismore council reserves, National Parks estate and Southern Cross University land will be a priority for control. Communitnative plant communities limiting natural regeneration. The capacity of landcare members & the community to manage sites will be enhanced through training in restoration techniques and by working alongside professional bush regenerators. Local school children & the community will learn about the biodiversity value of their local bush and how they can protect it.
Overseeing staged riparian restoration works on the banks of the Wilson Rivers to protect and restore wildlife habitat for threatened species, specifically koalas, on private land. The works will provide a safe refuge for ‘at risk’ koalas on a unique stretch of the river known as Koala Island This project will serve to increase habitat connectivity to adjoiningy education events and mailbox drops will focus on weed identification, native plant alternatives and garden waste dumping. This project will be assisted by Green Army teams from Round 4.
This Jiggi Landcare project valued at $18,300 aims to control & contain WONS in riparian habitat known to contain threatened species in the Goolmangar and Rock Valley areas. Two sub catchments will be included creating links between valleys following Lismore City Council mapped corridors. Partnerships between three landowners will be strengthened to create linear corridors with this project & future endeavours. A stand of threatened Giant Ironwood, the most southerly recorded in NSW, will be protected with cattle exclusion structures. A roving field day will serve to strengthen the communities capacity & commitment to solve weed problems while learning about wildlife habitat and species requirements. The primary aim of the project is to strategically address weed problems and habit connectivity on a local scale. One of the sites is an important release site for orphaned joeys that have been raised by WIRES member Renata and Don.
This $250,000 project is located in the Richmond Catchment in Northern NSW. It has a life of six years and is funded by the NSW Environmental Trust. Jiggi Catchment Landcare Group Inc, are the project managers and have teamed up with other groups with a shared commitment to restoring native vegetation with an aim of expanding connectivity on a landscape scale. The project is using wildlife corridors to connect the groups. Stakeholders include Mulvena Road Landcare, Nimbin Rocks Cooperative Landcare, Jiggi Catchment Landcare, Goolmangar School and Jiggi School Landcare groups. There are seven properties in total, three of the particpating properties are multiple occupancy or community title land with numerous shareholders to contribute to achieving the desired outcomes. Thirty six hectares of native bush have been restored in the first two years of the project and 1746 endemic species have been planted. Many threatened flora and fauna species have been recorded on the property. Annual field days give the community an opportunity to view the incredible results that can be achieved from a long term funded project and more importantly committed landowners. The two primary schools included in the project participate in environmental education days with planting and Waterwatch activites.
Julie Reid EPM was engaged in 2017, as a consultant to advise on wetland restoration work in Mai Khao, Thailand. Owing to rapid development in the last decade, this large wetland has fragmented into 10 small wetlands. Three of these were filled in for the construction of the airport. The remaining wetland are at risk of being drained and modified as developers move in to create aesthetically pleasing lakes and extracting water for the water thirsty tourist developments. Wetland ecosystems are very important for local livelihood who have little control over how these sites are managed. In addition, it is considered the most biologically diverse of all ecosystems, serving as home to a wide range of plant and animal life. Pru Jood is one of the last bodies of water that has had minimal interference (photo).
The plan has been prepared for a rural property at Jiggi Road, Goolmangar. This property has been in the same family for four generations. Landuse has been predominately agriculture with both dairy and beef cattle being the primary source of income. The property is strategically located on the confluence of two major tributaries of the Richmond River; Goolmangar and Jiggi Creeks. The size of the property, 398 acres, makes it unique in this region as many of the larger agricultural properties have been subdivided in to smaller lifestyle blocks. This plan has been prepared to assist the landowner to access funding to support his current regeneration work commitments.
The environmental assets of the property include endangered ecological communities and threatened species both flora and fauna. Identified work zones contain areas of prime freshwater fish habitat. Of significance is the presence of several threatened Giant Ironwoods (Backhousia subargentea) the most southerly recorded specimens in New South Wales.
Four hundred endemic species of trees have been planted and a new fence erected to protect the planting and existing remnant native vegetation from browsers. This planting is one of many that have been undertaken on this property over the past 15 years. The total number of plants in the ground has exceeded 5000, all have been edge and gap plantings, the aim; to link remnants of native vegetation to restore connectivity for the many threatened fauna species on the site. Current work was made possible with funding from the Northern Rivers CMA. Species were selected to ensure a stratified planting replicated what is present; many of the trees were grown from seed collected from the property.
This three year project aims to open and enhance the wildlife corridor used by many fauna species to access water. The work site is a linkage between a continuous vegetation ridge line corridor and a permanent creek, wildlife have to cross a well utilised road to complete the return journey. Dense weed infestations have created a hidden exit point where individual animals, in particular swamp wallabies, are regularly killed as they cross the road. The well worn trails have been opened to allow motorists and fauna to better gauge the possibility of an incident. Signage has been designed to alert motorists of the potential hazard and barbed wire fences, on the site, have been removed to facilitate access to the creek.
This property provides habitat to five recorded threatened fauna species and six threatened flora species. The project site is an area that was once degraded farm land but is now a vital mapped wildlife corridor linking two areas classified as key habitat. The threatened arboreal squirrel glider and koala both occur on and near the site and will benefit from the natural regeneration that is occurring. Dingos have been recorded on the property in the last 12 months.
This project, funded by the NSW Government Primary Industries Habitat Grants and supported by the Recreational Fishing Trust, aims to protect and restore riparian vegetation on a site strategically located on the confluence of two major tributaries of the Richmond River. The site contains excellent fish habitat and an abundance of native fish. Many years of cattle accessing the creek has resulted in areas of serious stream bank erosion with little natural regeneration. The site will be fenced and revegetated. The site has good regeneration potential with a diverse species seed bank across from and along the remaining section of creek. Once planted trees are established natural regeneration will follow. Lomandra is present on the lower banks but is currently being grazed by cattle, once the threat from grazing is eliminated the plant will stabilise the toe of the bank reducing further erosion. The work zones is a high profile site being located adjacent to Goolmangar Bridge on the main thoroughfare into the Jiggi Valley.
The landowner Bill Somerville is a fourth generation farmer who has a vision of restoring the natural assets of his property.
This project is the first stage in a strategic approach to facilitate koala movement between Lismore’s urban and rural populations. Friends of the Koala (FOK) will work with Lismore City Council (LCC), Southern Cross University (SCU) & private landowners to restore koala corridors through natural area restoration and community education. The project will strive to educate & involve the local community on issues such as garden waste dumping, garden plant selection & responsible pet ownership.
The long term goal is to see a reduction in the incidence of diseased & injured koalas coming into care as a result of physical injuries and stress related diseases, and to enhance existing core koala habitat for the benefit of the Lismore koala population. The project will be assisted by the Friends of the Koala Green Team.
© Julie Reid 2022