A gong and a BAM for great grants

It's Official- the TSLS project is complete

The Threatened Species Last Stand on the Coal Point Peninsula (TSLS) project was officially signed off on 23/12/19, a satisfying way to round out the year. A heartfelt thanks to everyone involved in the project.

The feedback from the Environmental Trust was effusive in their praise, rating the project as excellent, and providing the following comments;

Condition across all (Landcare) sites has improved and are now on a strong

recovery trajectory, evidenced through a thorough monitoring program. Ultimately, these improvements will result in enhanced opportunities for reproduction and dispersal of threatened species including Powerful Owl, Squirrel Glider, and Black-eyed Susan (Tetratheca juncea) as well as several non-threatened native species. 

A staggering 25,400 hours of volunteer time toward delivery of the project and involvement in on-ground activities was reported...the regular attendance of Landcare volunteers has tripled over the duration of the project. 

Awareness raising amongst volunteers and the wider community has been achieved through development of more than 300 resources and running of 125 events. Collectively, these events interacted with over 4,000 people directly, with a significantly greater number reached through media promotion of the events and project works. 

Involvement of school students from local pre-, primary and high schools has been extensive with over 1,700 students involved in a range of on-ground activities and awareness raising events specific to the local bushland environment, integrated with school learning outcomes through school curricula. 57 stakeholder groups were engaged through or with the project. 

The monitoring techniques applied over the project duration effectively demonstrate improvement in site condition. Highly useful information has been generated, vindicating the regeneration methods used by contractors and volunteers on the target weeds, the installation of nest boxes, and the benefits of applying fire to sites heavily infested with Asparagus Fern. Bird surveys indicate an increasing pressure from Noisy Miner use at the sites. Diversity within the vegetation strata (particularly in the lower and ground layers) is key to ensuring smaller birds can persist in the sites. 

The Community Bush Regeneration program was designed to support community groups to deliver positive bush regeneration outcomes for and with their local communities. This is exactly what this project has achieved.

Congratulations on accomplishing more than was expected … The outcomes are testament to six years of hard work and dedication by all directly involved with delivery of this project.

On the 2nd April the landcare sites that received attention throughout the 6-year TSLS Project (2012-2018) were tobe reviewed using the Biodiversity Assessment Method (BAM), on behalf of the Environmental Trust. This process will formally evaluate the impacts on threatened species and threatened ecological communities, and their habitats, and the impact on biodiversity values. The is part of a review of the 6-year grant structure, a timeframe which had not been previously trialled.- The BAM visit has been postponed due to COVID-19.

Thank you to everyone involved in the project 

Winter gatherings at the hall welcome

The 2018 Community Building partnership grant was also wrapped up in time for New Year celebrations. Sustainable Solutions for Progress Hall Stage2-Excellence in Energy Efficiency, has seen Progress Hall reach levels of comfort never before experienced. Underfloor insulation, air conditioning, possum proofing and new fans and LED lights on the stage have made the hall an all-weather community space which is currently being enjoyed by yogis, artists and community members celebrating special occasions. Hall hire availability can be viewed at https://coalpointprogress.blogspot.com/p/calendar.html-