Latest Newsletter
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
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
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
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
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
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