It’s not too late to celebrate.

With the east coast low filling the water tank, the garden finally getting a good soaking after prolonged warm weather and the release of the Climate Council’s seasonal update ‘Abnormal Autumn 2016’, World Environment Day (WED) 2016 is more than a passing thought it’s a reminder to take action. The United Nations summed it up pretty succinctly…

When we see or experience the negative effects of climate change, environmental degradation or resource depletion it is easy to blame others - governments for not prioritising environmental policy; industry for raising greenhouse gas emissions; NGOs for not lobbying strongly enough; and individuals for not taking action. WED however is a day we put aside our differences and instead celebrate the achievements we’ve made towards protecting the environment.

By celebrating WED, we remind ourselves and others of the importance of caring for our environment. Remember that every action counts, so join us: every year, everywhere, everyone!

This year’s theme for WED – Go Wild for Life – encourages us to celebrate all those species under threat and take our own actions to help safeguard them for future generations. This can be about animals or plants that are threatened within your local area as well as at the national or global level - many local extinctions will eventually add up to a global extinction!

Habitat enhancement with Fire & Steel

Here along the Coal Point Peninsula we have got quite a lot to celebrate. We live alongside three Endangered Ecological Communities, two endangered populations and five at risk species whose survival depends upon what we do.

Local animals such as Squirrel Gliders and Powerful Owls need hollow bearing trees for homes, plants such as Tetratheca juncea (Black-eyed Susan) and Macrozamia flexuosa, a local cycad, need weed-free areas to flourish.

On Saturday 18th June, 9:30am-2:30pm at Progress Hall there’ll be a fantastic field day, Habitat Enhancement with Fire & Steel , a one-stop shop full of ideas, answers and actions on what you can do in your own backyard to make a difference for our local wildlife and threatened species.

There will be

• an expert arborist, Jarrah Hume-Cook, creating habitat with a chainsaw, demonstrating a variety of techniques for insitu hollow log homes and discussing options for tree retention that improve tree safety whilst retaining habitat potential. 
• A guided walk through the recently burnt Stansfield Reserve will highlight the impact of garden escapes and the resilience of the Australian bushland and how we can look after it. 
• Local native plants and nest boxes will be for sale so you can enhance your own backyard habitat along with expert advice from Ann Loughran, author of Native Plant or Weed Pick the difference, courtesy of Trees In Newcastle. 
• Displays from Lake Macquarie Landcare, Backyard Habitat for Wildlife, Toronto Area Sustainable Neighbourhood Group and the Progress Association will give you the opportunity to join in or catch up and find out a little bit more about what actions are being taken locally. 

Bookings can be made online through Eventbrite. https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/habitat-enhancement-with-fire-and-steel-tickets-25415795328 or by calling/sms Suzanne on 0438596741. Please RSVP for catering purposes.

There is a program and more information on last month's post 

This workshop has been made possible through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program and is supported by Hunter Region Landcare Network and Hunter Local Land Services.