Bushcare Volunteering
Friends of the Park Bushcare Program
Bushcare in the Leichhardt LGA began around thirteen years ago as a community-based movement aiming to return native flora and fauna to our highly altered urban landscape. This valuable work first developed in the early 1990’s around the Annandale area, with the establishment of the Rozelle Bay Community Native Nursery. Community volunteers worked to promote the use of native plants in gardens and park areas, propagating locally indigenous species and creating a network of revegetation sites in Annandale. In the mid 1990’s, a Bushcare group was established at Callan Park, where a highly disturbed fragment of the original vegetation community (Sydney Turpentine/Ironbark Forest) is still present. This is the only bushland remnant in the Leichhardt LGA.
The program has continued to develop over the years, driven by an amazing amount of community support & dedication. At the present time there are approximately 5 hectares of revegetated land throughout the Leichhardt LGA, with seven active bushcare groups contributing very significantly to the maintenance and development of these areas.
Council has supported the efforts of community bushcare volunteers since the movement started. Council support has included the provision of mulch, tools, propagation equipment, plants, site preparation works, waste removal, access to public land, technical advice and much of the nursery’s equipment. As a result of some strenuous lobbying from the volunteers, Councillors and Council staff, the position of Biodiversity Officer was created in April 2005 to provide a greater level of support to the volunteers and to expand biodiversity conservation work in the LGA.
Council increased its support for the project in August 2006 with the creation of a two-person bushcare crew. The crew is responsible for maintaining existing bushcare sites, and establishing new areas in accordance with Council’s biodiversity conservation strategy.
Despite the highly modified nature of Leichhardt’s urban environment, the relatively small areas of remaining habitat support a surprisingly diverse array of fauna. However, there is evidence that some species of fauna, such as the Superb Fairy-wren and Blue Tongue Lizard are declining in the area due to habitat loss, competition from more dominant species and predation by feral and domestic animals (cats, dogs & foxes).
A strategic approach has been developed which attempts to support these vulnerable species by recognising their existing habitats, extending these areas with appropriate native vegetation and habitat structures and, where possible, creating corridors to allow the movement and distribution of these species into wider areas of the LGA than is currently the case. Co-operation is sought from public landholders such as RailCorp and the RTA in this regard.
Council’s commitment to this project will continue into the future with further integration of the biodiversity project into general parks management practices and continued support for community volunteers. With the opening of a new and improved community native nursery in 2010, it is anticipated that Council’s commitment will extend to the supply of local native plants for use in residential gardens and the establishment a native habitat project on private lands.
How can I get involved?
Council supports a community volunteer bushcare programme, with regular working bees held at several sites in the Leichhardt area.
These groups meet and carry out bushcare activities on these set days at these locations:
Elkington Park Bushcare
Meets: fourth Sunday of the month at the end of Fitzroy St., Balmain
Time: 9.30 am – 12 noon
Contact: Doug Anderson 9367-9326, 0408-211362, douga@lmc.nsw.gov.au
Balmain High Bushcare
Meets: Third Sunday of every month at the end of Bayville St., Balmain
Time: 9.30am – 12 noon
Contact: Bronwen Campbell 9810-7217
White’s Creek Bushcare
Meets: third Saturday of the month near the Brenan St. entrance to White’s Creek
Valley Park.
Time: 9.30am – 12 noon
Contact: Doug Anderson 9367-9326, 0408-211362, douga@lmc.nsw.gov.au
Callan Park Bushcare
Meets: every Friday from 9am to 1pm, and the first Sunday of the month from 9.30am to 12noon above where the Bay Run meets King George Oval. Location map available on request.
Contact: Doug Anderson 9367-9326, 0408-211362, douga@lmc.nsw.gov.au
Rozelle Bay Community Native Nursery
Meets: every Wednesday and Friday at the nursery, end of Chapman Rd., Annandale
Time: 8.30 am – 12 noon
Contact: Doug Anderson 9367-9326, 0408-211362, douga@lmc.nsw.gov.au
Mort Bay Park Bushcare
Meets: first Saturday of the month at cnr. Cameron and McKell Sts., Birchgrove
Time: 9.30am – 12 noon
Contact: Doug Anderson 9367-9326, 0408-211362, douga@lmc.nsw.gov.au
Inner West Environment Group (IWEG)
Meets: once every six months on the Hawthorne Canal side of the pedestrian tunnel at the end of Lords St, Leichhardt.
Diary of dates available at www.iweg.org.au
Contact: Bruce Ashley 9560-9281