The Scoop
Plant of the Month: Ironbarks
It was the man from Ironbark who struck the Sydney town, He wandered over street and park, he wandered up and down. He loitered here, he loitered there, till he was like to drop, Until at last in sheer despair he sought a barber’s shop. “‘Ere! shave... read more
Planet Ark – ‘The Seedling Bank’
Grants open until 25 February 2022 Planet Ark’s National Tree Day team launched ‘The Seedling Bank’ in 2019 to give communities and schools the funds they need to put seedlings in the ground. The program builds on the success of Australia’s largest tree planting and... read more
Hunter Local Land Services Seed Collection and Propagation
The HLLS volunteer crew would love to start getting their hands dirty, growing some plants for local landholders, landcarers and community groups. You can: = Give seed to LLS to propagate and support projects/hold in seed bank = Bring it to the nursery (Kooragang,... read more
Barrington Broom Monitoring
Hunter Region Landcare Network (HRLN) and NSW National Parks and Wildlife Services (NPWS) are developing a program to engage volunteers as Citizen Scientists in Barrington Tops NP, to monitor the presence and control of Scotch Broom (Cytisus scoparius). HRLN Project... read more
Hunter Region Landcare heroes recognised at Australia Day Awards
Hunter Region Landcare Network congratulate Bill Dowling and Stephen Thatcher for having their hard work and dedication to the environment recognised at their regional 2023 Australia Day Awards. Dungog Shire Council – Environmental Citizen Award Bill Dowling and... read more
First Nations Feature – Cultural Burning at Curricabark: Walking together in conservation
This video documents a Cultural Burn conducted on private property in Curricabark, Biripi Country, as part of a collaborative conservation project – COBRA (Curricabark Open air Biodiversity Research laborAtory). The burn was facilitated by Indigenous... read more
Spreading the ‘Shorebird Word’
During the Summer School Holidays, Hunter Region Landcare Network held 2 Kids Storytime and Art Workshops to coincide with our Shorebird Exhibition at Tomaree Library. This exhibition, supported by stunning Shorebird Photographs provided by the Hunter Bird Observers... read more
Shorebird Feature: #sharetheshore with our Endangered Beach Nesting Birds
Australia is home to several species of waders and seabirds that nest on our ocean beaches and on the sandy shores, sandspits and islands within our estuaries. These environments are rich with marine life that the birds use to raise their families. Some birds, such as... read more
The Woodland Plant Helping Regent Honey Eaters from then Brink of Extinction
With less than 300 birds left in the wild, the Regent Honeyeater is a bird in dire need of help. These stunning birds will travel vast distances in search of food sources that provide high yields of nectar. Spotted Gum, Broad-leaved Ironbark, and Swamp Mahogany are... read more
Understanding Your Property By the Property Detective Part 7
Water and my Property An abundant feature of many locations during the past year, has been significant rainfall. A further issue has been the impact of downstream flows that can have an impact even though rainfall at the location was not necessarily high! The... read more
Tabbil Creek to Martins Creek Corridor Project
A unique project has started within the Tabbil Creek to Martins Creek Corridor, extending from Bingleburra in the North to Martins Creek in the South. The project is set to create opportunities to engage landowners around natural regeneration and revegetation,... read more
The Soil Food Web Part 2
This month, lets talk about organic matter and its role in the soil food web. “Soil organic matter” includes all the organic substances in or on the soil. These include: Living organisms: Bacteria, fungi, nematodes, protozoa, earthworms, arthropods, and living roots.... read more
Training opportunities: Big Scrub Rainforest
Not so much a training opportunity as a look into what’s possible in Landcare. Big Scrub is a lowland subtropical rainforest on the north coast of NSW, once part of the great Gondwana rainforest. The Big Scrub Landcare group set about a long-term ecological... read more
NSW Parliamentary Friends of Landcare
What is it and what does it mean for us in the Hunter region? The NSW Parliamentary Friends of Landcare (PFL) is a cross-party group of NSW Members of Parliament who have a common interest in demonstrating support for the goals of Landcare and a commitment to... read more
Belltrees Primary School
Winners of the Sustainable Schools NSW, School of the Year Award for 2022. Net-Zero by the end of 2022! Teachers, students and the wider school community have undertaken activities to decrease their carbon footprint, rewild their school landscape and incorporate EE... read more
Register Your Interest as a Citizen Scientist for Shorebirds
Looking for conservation opportunities over the Summer? Assist University of Newcastle PhD Candidate, Mattea Taylor, in disturbance monitoring of our local Shorebirds around high tide. These surveys will be conducted over consecutive months, until April 2023. Register... read more
Aussie Ark Visit
Hunter Region Landcare Network’s visit to Aussie Ark this month was a joyful experience for all. We pitched in to do what Landcare does best- help plant and weed in the Tassie devil, Long nosed potoroo and Brush tailed rock wallaby enclosures. Scotch Broom is... read more
Mount Vincent Landcare regenerating Brunkerville Reserve
Mount Vincent Landcare group has recently taken stewardship of Brunkerville Reserve on Gills Lane, a One-hectare bushland reserve with 150m of frontage onto Brunkerville Creek. This beautiful natural reserve contains tree species from Coastal Foothills Spotted Gum... read more
Shorebird Feature: Bar-tailed Godwit
Last month, migratory shorebirds made global news headlines for setting a new World Record for the longest continuous migratory flight. Previously held by another Bar-tailed Godwit (Limosa lapponica subsp. baueri), the juvenile flew for 13 560km over the Pacific... read more
Woodland Bird Feature: Regent Honeyeater
Did you know that the most important habitat for the critically endangered Regent Honeyeater is here in the lower Hunter Valley? Last month the local wild population was boosted with the release of 50 zoo-bred birds in the Tomalpin Woodlands, south of Kurri... read more
Understanding Your Property By the Property Detective Part 6
Soil As Landcarers we are conscious of the soil upon which we are working. Unfortunately, the soil structure in many locations has been altered through land clearing and unsustainable agricultural practices. Today most landholders seek to maintain and improve the... read more
Plant of the Month: Scribbly Gums
“The Gumnut Strike”. May Gibbs. Snugglepot and Cuddlepie. “They were surprised to see an Editor writing all about them in his newspaper. Gumnut Editors generally write backwards because they say it takes longer to read it that way, and people think they are getting... read more
Training opportunities: Removing Weed Waste
Each month we’ll feature resources for training, learning, and up-skilling in bush regeneration techniques and other Landcaring activities. Do you need to remove weed waste from your Landcare site? Some weed waste can be left onsite for habitat, particularly for small... read more
Wettenhall Environment Trust – Small Environmental Grants Scheme: Expressions of Interest open on December 1st
“Providing support for people undertaking projects that will make a positive difference to the natural living environment, in land, sea or air, rural or urban. We support grassroots organisations and individuals, and academics who are working with on-ground community... read more
Paddock Trees for Koalas
Do you have isolated paddock trees on your property, or remnant vegetation that can potentially provide stepping stones for koalas and other fauna? Our Landcare networks on the Mid Coast are currently looking at properties within Koala ARKS for potential future... read more
Queens’ Jubilee celebration at Bolwarra
Another 500 trees have been planted at Bolwarra Sports Complex thanks to community support in Maitland. We are well on our way to reaching 2000 trees at this site, not including understory plants. While it is unusual to be planting into summer, we are taking... read more
First Nations Feature: Listening to Indigenous Voices
Listening to Indigenous Voices – Land & Farming Sunday 20th November, 2 – 4pm, James Theatre, Dungog Land & Farming is the first of the Listening to Indigenous Voices Series. With the evolving evidence of extreme weather events, now is the time to... read more
Register Your Interest as a Citizen Scientist for Shorebirds
Assist University of Newcastle PhD Candidate, Mattea Taylor, in disturbance monitoring of Shorebirds around high tide. These surveys will be conducted over consecutive months, from October 2022 to April 2023. Register your interest here to become a Citizen Scientist... read more
Propped Up: Soils Ain’t Soils – Part 2
A couple of months ago I started a trial of some different “Premium” potting mixes, it has been a fairly cool start to spring so seedling growth was a little slow, and some seedlings had gotten frosted and died but most of the plants have now grown enough to see any... read more
Shorebird Feature: Results from Welcome Shorebirds Events
With support from Hunter Local Land Services through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program, Hunter Region Landcare Network hosted a weekend of collaborative events with the University of Newcastle (UoN) and the Hunter Bird Observers Club... read more
Woodland Bird Feature: Stanford Merthyr Infants School Celebrate National Bird Week
Stanford Merthyr Infants School celebrated National Bird Week by kicking off their Woodland Birds program with two visits from our Project Officer Meg. In preparation for future woodland bird education and activities, the students turned their focus to the most... read more
The Soil Food Web: Part 1 Introduction
Last month, we learned that soil is not an inert growing medium – it is a living and life-giving natural resource. It is teaming with billions of bacteria, fungi, and other microbes that are the foundation of an elegant symbiotic ecosystem. Lets start learning about... read more
Understanding Your Property By the Property Detective Part 5
Geology Understanding the Geology of your locality is a basic piece of information for property holders as this gives a strong indication of the soils that cover the geological strata. This information is available through the NSW Government website at:... read more
Plant of the Month: Who’s a Sap?
The next group of Eucalypt like trees we’re looking at are the bloodwoods. The bloodwoods derive their common name from the large amount of sap they produce, previously listed in the Eucalyptus they were split off into the Corymbia genus in the 1990’s. Apart from the... read more
Training opportunities: RegenTV
Each month we’ll feature resources for training, learning, and up-skilling in bush regeneration techniques and other Landcaring activities. This month’s feature is from RegenTV – The Australian Association of Bush Regenerators (winners of the 2022... read more
Landcare Sightings: Eastern Bearded Dragon
Spotted by Victoria, one of our Project Officers, whilst putting in the leg work for Camera Trapping at Congewai. This handsome Eastern Bearded Dragon (Pogona barbata) was found up a tree, basking in the last of the afternoon sun. You can find these bearded dragons... read more
Bushfire Restoration Grants
The Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife invites applications to support revegetation activities for communities in the Local Government Areas (LGA) listed as impacted by the 2019-20 bushfires Applications close: Sunday 30 April 2023, unless the funds are... read more
Landcare Muster – Last chance to share your ideas!
A Landcare Muster is a gathering for Landcarers across the Hunter region to come together to share and celebrate our achievements, and look to the future with ideas and inspiration. We are asking you as Landcarers to tell us how you would like to celebrate together.... read more
Fire Danger Ratings Have Changed
You can find the new Fire Danger Ratings to check the fire danger for your area on the RFS website, Fires Near Me NSW smartphone app and on roadside signs. Find out more here: New fire danger rating system to keep communities safe this bush fire season – NSW... read more
Turtle Monitoring Citizen Science
During November, the researchers at 1millionturtles.com would like everyone to be out and about near their local waterways, keeping an eye out for turtles crossing roads and helping them get to the other side safely, looking for sightings of turtles emerging to nest... read more
Fern Creek Landcare: An Intergenerational Landcare Story with Peter Dalton and Gabrielle Stacey
Gabrielle and Peter recount how the unlikely duo combined the Landcare experience and institutional knowledge of an older generation with the marketing knowledge and fresh perspective of a diverse younger generation — showing how intergenerational partnerships are the... read more
Meet Daintry Gerrand, our Regional Agricultural Landcare Facilitator (RALF)
Daintry is part of the Natural Resource Management Team at Hunter Local Land Services, who works alongside our Landcare Coordinators at HRLN. Daintry has a strong focus on connecting with the community – landholders, Landcare community and agriculture industry:... read more
Want to start a Landcare site in the Maitland LGA?
Maitland City Council is seeking Expressions of Interest from interested people that are willing and committed to improving and regenerating a location near you as part of a Landcare group Click here to register:... read more
Shorebird Feature: Beach-nesting Birds
Nesting season has begun for our local beach-nesting birds! These shorebirds and seabirds are extremely vulnerable to disturbance from people during this time and, unfortunately, these warmer months are also when humans flock to the beaches. Disturbance during nesting... read more
Congratulations to Elizabeth Riley!
Congratulations to Elizabeth Riley, from Hunter Valley Wine Country Landcare for being appointed as an Independant Director on the BOARD OF Landcare NSW. Liz, being a steward and carer of land herself, she also works day to day with viticultural landowners and... read more
Woodland Bird Feature: The Noisy Miner (a native nuisance?)
The noisy miner is one native species that has benefited greatly from human alterations to woodland and forest habitat, enabling it to increase in abundance and distribution. In short, the Noisy Miner has become an overabundant species. Why is this a problem? Large... read more
Soil Health Basics
If you have spent time in the garden, in the paddock or digging up your backyard, you would see some signs of life in the soil- earthworms, curl grubs, ants, spiders, etc; And these are only a few of the ones you can see with the naked eye. Soil is not an inert... read more
Understanding Your Property By the Property Detective Part 4
The object of our investigations is to have a sound understanding of the property we work upon. This selection of maps builds upon the geology and terrain of the property. It also gives an idea of the areas we will investigate over a period of time to make us very... read more
Plant of the Month: She’ll be Apples!
Within the Eucalypts and close relatives the common names of many of the groups do make a bit of sense, Ironbarks, Stringybarks, Boxes are all named for their bark, the Bloodwoods are so named for the large amount of sap they produce but what about these things called... read more
September Shorebird Feature
Some say Spring has sprung a little early this year and some flowers and birds may agree with you! Observations of Beach-stone Curlews and Far Eastern Curlews have already been reported on our shorelines from mid-August. With the ‘official’ beginning of Spring, comes... read more
Understanding Your Property By the Property Detective Part 3
What a wonderful feature Google Earth has for property holders and Landcarers. From its tool bar we are able to get historic images of our property over time and we can also obtain a convenient Latitude and Longitude to use as a geographic point to help us locate... read more
Environmental Restoration and Rehabilitation Grants
Environmental Restoration and Rehabilitation Grants of up to $200,000 for projects that achieve long-term outcomes for the NSW environment.... read more
Grass ID courses with Harry Rose coming up in October!
Keep an eye on the HLLS Events page (https://www.lls.nsw.gov.au/regions/hunter/events) read more
Bell Frog Way Report – GGBF Education Session
Through funding from NPWS under the Save our Species (SOS) Program, Hunter Region Landcare Network facilitated the final Bell Frog event for the financial year. On Thursday, June 30th, we held a Green and Golden Bell Frog Education session – an evening of... read more
Winner of Australia’s Favourite Tree Announced
Take me to the river… “The contest is over, the dust has settled and one magnificent tree stands above the rest. It twists and turns as it gathers water from deep underground, reaches for the sky and sends generous branches in improbable directions. For... read more
Woodland Bird Feature: Spring is in the air – literally!
Have you noticed the warmer days already? Don’t take any notice of that thing on the wall that thinks spring starts on the 1st of September; spring is well and truly underway by then! There are (I think) at least two springs; the first being “early spring”, which... read more
Tools, Tricks and Tips: Use it or lose it
Do you get sick of dropping tools in the garden or in the bush and spending the next half hour trying to find them? Well, this little trick may save you a little bit of time. It’s simple (and fun), wander off to your nearest car parts or electronic supplies... read more
Plant of the Month – Mallees
Plant of the Month: “I don’t mind at all if you call me a Mallee Boy.” The famous song by John Williamson refers to the Mallee Region of Western Victoria an area famous for it’s stunted multi-stemmed Eucalypts known as Mallees. The Mallee growth form is a fairly... read more
2021 State of the Environment Report Released
The latest State of the Environment Report has been released and it makes for some fairly grim reading, in short There are now more non-native plant species in Australia than there native ones Of the 450 gigalitres of water for the environment promised under the... read more