Hills | Community organisation

Hills

Phone: +61 424 844 740

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• Community organisation
• Environmental conservation organisation

25.01.2022 This project in Bangalow and surrounds has been wonderful to watch unfold

23.01.2022 Hi everyone, Weve been told that Hornsby Council are considering Native Vegetation Mapping at their meeting this week. If you would like to demonstrate support for better regulation of land clearing in the Hornsby Shire please see details below: We lose a staggering 12,000 to 15,000 trees a year in Hornsby Shire, most of them in rural areas. Council has been considering how this can be addressed and will consider changes to the LEP at the meeting on Wednesday which could s...trengthen protection of biodiversity and the tree canopy in the Shire. There are three options currently tabled (but an alternative could also be proposed). The main difference between the options is whether the threshold of National, State and Regional significance should be maintained, or whether all vegetation communities should be added to the LEP map this makes a difference to the number of properties that will be affected. Currently option 2 and 3 also include a 10 metre buffer zone around the protected area. There is no doubt that the second option offer the best protection to remnant bushland, however the third options is also a vast improvement on what currently exists. Yes, it will make it that little bit harder to build on lands that are included on the vegetation map, but it wont stop it and it will ensure that there will be clear provisions in place to stop excessive clearing of high value vegetation communities. It is worth noting that the 10/50 vegetation clearing entitlement still applies to land (unless it is one of the special exempt categories). If we want to make sure that Hornsby remains the bushland shire, and that the amazing wildlife (including koalas) have somewhere to live, we need to ensure that land clearing on private property is properly regulated The full report can be found in the business papers : http://businesspapers.hornsby.nsw.gov.au//GM_12082020_AGN_ You can write to the Councillors to show your support for the proposal : [email protected] See more

22.01.2022 Another great post from Hawkesbury Landcare Network!

22.01.2022 Exciting times! In the last few weeks we've had reports of koala calls in our area! Keep an ear out everyone, and please, if you think you hear one, record it and let us know! Here is a reminder of what the different calls sound like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fq74aS4irmc

21.01.2022 We've been asked to share this flyer for a koala awareness day being held by the Hornsby Shire Climate Action group in Hornsby. Here is the flyer below:

21.01.2022 From Hawkesbury Landcare Network :)

20.01.2022 All locals can help with this project by keeping an ear out at night during the mating season (normally August/Sept until about Feb). Last year a female koala scream was recorded by Kate Keary in the bush at the end of Schwebel Lane! If you think you hear one at any point, even if it is outside mating season, please record it if you can, and let us know. We can send off the recording for confirmation. Here are some examples from youtube of both male and female, they are very... different: Male https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocIR6B-YtYE Female https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0cAx1jLbJk More https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fq74aS4irmc

20.01.2022 Signs around of spring approaching... Mating season is nearly here! We’ve already had reports of koala calls coming in. Please keep on listening out and recording anything you hear that may be koala related! ... Thank you for following us

20.01.2022 Wild Ambience is now on Youtube! I've started with a series of night sounds from the Australian bush, including the not so cute & cuddly calls of the Koala! ht...tps://youtu.be/FVQGFtihvr0 Plenty more coming soon including longer soundscapes. Subscribe for regular updates. Koala Detection Dogs - OWAD Environment

19.01.2022 Gorgeous post from Friends of the Koala. A good reminder that koalas can be spotted in other trees, not just eucalyptus. Weve even got a photo of a koala in a paperbark tree at the broad water, but that one is pre 2002 fires..

19.01.2022 Even though we didnt spot any koalas yesterday, we did see lots of native wildlife, and a valley full of grey gums with scratch marks on them (potentially koala but not confirmed). Will go back over the mating season and camp the night, see if there are any around!

17.01.2022 Hi everyone, We’ve been told that Hornsby Council are considering Native Vegetation Mapping at their meeting this week. If you would like to demonstrate support for better regulation of land clearing in the Hornsby Shire please see details below: ‘We lose a staggering 12,000 to 15,000 trees a year in Hornsby Shire, most of them in rural areas. Council has been considering how this can be addressed and will consider changes to the LEP at the meeting on Wednesday which could s...trengthen protection of biodiversity and the tree canopy in the Shire. There are three options currently tabled (but an alternative could also be proposed). The main difference between the options is whether the threshold of National, State and Regional significance should be maintained, or whether all vegetation communities should be added to the LEP map this makes a difference to the number of properties that will be affected. Currently option 2 and 3 also include a 10 metre buffer zone around the protected area. There is no doubt that the second option offer the best protection to remnant bushland, however the third options is also a vast improvement on what currently exists. Yes, it will make it that little bit harder to build on lands that are included on the vegetation map, but it won’t stop it and it will ensure that there will be clear provisions in place to stop excessive clearing of high value vegetation communities. It is worth noting that the 10/50 vegetation clearing entitlement still applies to land (unless it is one of the special exempt categories). If we want to make sure that Hornsby remains the bushland shire, and that the amazing wildlife (including koalas) have somewhere to live, we need to ensure that land clearing on private property is properly regulated’ The full report can be found in the business papers : http://businesspapers.hornsby.nsw.gov.au//GM_12082020_AGN_ You can write to the Councillors to show your support for the proposal : [email protected] See more

17.01.2022 Dog attacks are a major koala killer! Here is some advice from the Save the Koala website for dog owners and community members who want to help. Probably the most relevant to our area is to lock up dogs at night (and keep fenced during day) so they dont go into the bush and hunt wildlife, and also to report to council if you are seeing dogs stray in the bush. Also to keep dogs on leads during bush walks. ... Anyway heres the list :) Check trees for Koalas before leaving dogs unattended in your yard If a Koala enters your yard, put your dog inside your house or garage until the Koala has left In addition to the danger of attack, Koalas are very easily stressed by dogs Dont allow your dog to play with Koalas Take your dog on regular walks so it doesnt get bored If you must take your dog into the bush, use a leash. In most areas, it is illegal to allow a dog anywhere outside your yard unless it is on a leash, except in fenced dog parks At night, lock up your dog. It is not enough to just keep it in your yard -- Koalas can climb most fences or trees into yards Notify your local council immediately about roaming dogs or about irresponsible dog ownership.

16.01.2022 Even though we didn’t spot any koalas yesterday, we did see lots of native wildlife, and a valley full of grey gums with scratch marks on them (potentially koala but not confirmed). Will go back over the mating season and camp the night, see if there are any around!

15.01.2022 This article provides a good guide for identifying koala scat http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2007//26/2044094.htm Keep your eyes in the trees...and on the ground!

15.01.2022 Out on patrol! Snaps taken over time, out on koala search - looking for scratch marks, foods trees, scats and sleeping koalas!

14.01.2022 Some pics of our beautiful bushland in Canoelands taken by Rhys Clarkson. Looking forward to spending some serious time out in the bush listening for night calls when mating season starts again!

13.01.2022 Some useful echidna information from Sydney Wildlife

12.01.2022 An interesting read! https://www.smh.com.au//koalas-bushfire-recovery-diet-a-ca

12.01.2022 For those who are keen to learn, here is a list of the primary koala food trees in our area, published on the Australian Koala Foundation website, at https://www.savethekoala.com//20150212_AKF_National_Koala_ These are only the primary food trees, they can and do eat from trees outside this group as well!

12.01.2022 This was written by Save Sydney’s Koalas for new housing estates in the Campbelltown area. But still very relevant to us in the Hills-Hornsby and Hawkesbury areas.

06.01.2022 Signs around of spring approaching... Mating season is nearly here! Weve already had reports of koala calls coming in. Please keep on listening out and recording anything you hear that may be koala related! ... Thank you for following us

06.01.2022 A reminder about dog attacks coming into mating season. Please remember to tell your friends to keep their dogs on a lead or out of the bush!

05.01.2022 We’ve had a few reports of dogs being out in the bush, here is an article from AKF for dog owners with some tips on how to keep koalas safe. Most importantly - please keep dogs out of the bush unless they’re on a lead, and especially at night! https://www.savethekoala.com//koalas-and-dogs-how-be-respo

03.01.2022 Kate Keary's family spotted this beauty in the Colo area. Great to see they are out and about after the devastation of the fires! It's not technically Hills-Hornsby area, but still close by!

02.01.2022 Koalas are back!!! Before the bush fires of 2002 koalas were common in our area (particularly Glenorie, Canoelands, Wisemans Ferry and Maroota). When the 2002 fires came through, they devastated the habitat and koalas were not reported in our area since. However, since 2016 we have been conducting annual koala searches, engaging the community through Glenorie Environment Centre and Cattai Hills Environment Network. We have encouraged residents to listen out at night during t...he mating season and to report any sightings. Through the koala searches, in the last couple of years we have had a handful of sightings reported (with photo evidence). So, late 2019 some community members and organisations came together to form a network the Hills-Hawkesbury Rural Koala Project, with the goal of protecting these koalas so that their numbers may increase. Our aim is to monitor the population and to engage the community to help in reducing some of the major risks koalas face - road accidents, dog attacks and habitat loss. Bush fire remains a major threat which is also high on our agenda. Currently a student Western Sydney University is working on vegetation mapping in our area to identify potential koala hot spots which would help with bush fire management and monitoring. We are all about working together for the shared goal of protecting our koalas, and we encourage all community members to work together with us too! See more

01.01.2022 This cutie is in Victoria, shared on the Australian Native Animals page. Does anyone recognise the tree? It’s hard to see but to me it looked a bit like it could be a type of angophora, which wouldn’t normally be classed as a primary food tree. If that’s the case, it just goes to show how much koalas rely on a wide range of trees, and how conserving only ‘primary’ habitat isn’t necessarily the best approach! Does anyone recognise which Myrtaceae species this is?