Save Serendip Sanctuary in Lara, Victoria | Non-profit organisation

Save Serendip Sanctuary

Locality: Lara, Victoria

Address: 100 Windermere Rd 3212 Lara, VIC, Australia

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24.01.2022 In the 1950's Cape Barron Geese numbers were so low that they were thought to be at risk of extinction. They are currently listed as vulnerable in Victoria. Breeding programs were established and the program at Serendip Sanctuary proved to be one of the most successful. The birds continue to breed within the predator proof enclosures available at the sanctuary and they are now a common sight around the township of Lara. The removal of wildlife enclosures and captive breedin...g pens at serendip will reduce the capacity of the Cape Barron Geese to breed naturally in the area. They are frequently photographed and commented on locally and would be greatly missed if they disappeared from the area. Please sign the petition at http://chng.it/8Rwg9mvk to voice your concern about the many detrimental changes planned for the sanctuary. It will help greatly if you can also email a submission to [email protected]. Help us protect this amazing space dedicated to our native wildlife conservation. #saveserendip #serendip #SaveOurSanctuary #SOS

23.01.2022 Remember that amazing Australian Bustard from the last post? Here are images of the current google maps satellite and the proposal from the Master Plan. It involves an area of land available for 'lease' with a proposal of permanent accommodation and an unpowered campsite. As you can see the area for lease covers the entire area of the bustard breeding pens. We oppose camping within Serendip for reasons which we will explain further but, if it was deemed necessary, there ...is no reason to remove the breeding pens and replace it with this. The increase in noise and other stressors will just cause any remaining wildlife to leave the area, and we will have lost any opportunity for 'spontaneous wildlife viewing' as well as the opportunity to contribute to the conservation of important native species. This must be changed, please sign the petition at http://chng.it/8Rwg9mvk and let Parks Victoria know that this is not a proposal that the community endorses. #saveserendip #SaveOurSanctuary #serendipsanctuary #SOS

23.01.2022 Serendip Sanctuary has so much to offer, and stands to lose almost all of it if the current plans go ahead. This video tour gives a great look at many of the experiences currently available within the Sanctuary. Take a look... Don't forget to sign the petition at http://chng.it/8Rwg9mvk to stop the proposed changes at Serendip Sanctuary or this video will be all that remains.... https://youtu.be/rVDWb7UlEmU #saveserendip #serendip #SaveOurSanctuary #SOS

21.01.2022 The plan to improve the walkways and signage through Serendip Sanctuary is a welcome acknowledgement of the deterioration that these assets have undergone over the past years. The aspiration to having a track that leads from the township of Lara all the way to the You Yangs is admirable and would be welcomed However the placement of some of these additional walking tracks is cause for concern. Currently the bird hides are situated on the eastern banks of the wetlands. This... ensures that people approaching the wetlands to watch the birds are hidden, and if the birds are concerned by any noise they can retreat to the western side of the wetlands. The proposal to place the cycle/walk track along the western edge of the wetlands without physically protecting the birdlife from visitors will significantly reduce the numbers of birds visiting the area as they will not feel safe enough to stay. There are several other options which seem easily feasible as alternatives for this track, even from our own broad examination of the Sanctuary grounds. Please reconsider the placement of this track. We have tried, with our limited IT skills to show a couple of potential options for this connecting track. The proposed track is in yellow/black, our options in pink and red. Take a look below. Please sign the petition at http://chng.it/8Rwg9mvk and consider writing a submission to the master plan at [email protected] to ask them to reconsider this, and other aspects of the plan. #saveserendip #serendip #SaveOurSanctuary #SOS

21.01.2022 Did you know that Serendip Sanctuary had the most successful captive breeding program worldwide of any species of bustard in the 1980's? At its maximum the captive population totalled 67 bustards. Bustards are currently listed as critically endangered with an estimated number of 15-25 mature individuals in Victoria. Serendip Sanctuary could play a critical role in saving this species but, under the proposed changes, all bustards and their captive breeding pens would be r...emoved. Please do your part to help preserve these weird, and magnificent, birds. Sign the petition and, if you can, make a submission to protest against these proposals. #saveserendip #serendip #SaveOurSanctuary #SOS

20.01.2022 There are ways that Parks Victoria can accomplish their aims to build new infrastructure and improve the visitor experience without losing what Serendip Sanctuary is all about. We have a few ideas... Infrastructure... Instead of putting new buildings on top of current captive breeding pens and wildlife enclosures they could be positioned in the south-east corner of the park. These could include an education centre, some staff facilities (although there should still be a permanent staff presence at the You Yangs) and a picnic area with car parking. This area currently is not set aside for any particular purpose and has no proposed purpose in the draft master plan. The area close to the intersection of Windermere Rd and Flinders Rd is highly visible to traffic leading to increased visibility for tourists and locals alike. It is closer to the connection points for amenities such as power, water, gas and sewerage, saving money during construction. Positioning buildings here will allow approximately 80% of the park to remain relatively undisturbed and a quiet environment for both visitors and wildlife to enjoy. It will also allow both captive breeding and other wildlife enclosures to remain and continue to contribute to important wildlife conservation work. And here's a picture, artistic ability inhibited by lack of IT knowhow... Please sign the petition at http://chng.it/8Rwg9mvk and make a submission to the draft master plan letting Parks Victoria know your concerns at [email protected].

19.01.2022 Over the last decade Serendip Sanctuary has been involved in the captive breeding program of Eastern Barred Bandicoots(EBB). These amazing critters are extinct in the wild in Victoria and the breeding program was started with only 7 breeding pairs of mainland EBB's from the last remaining populations. Since 2013 Serendip Sanctuary has contributed to Zoos Victoria EBB captive breeding program, with their successful captive breeding facility. The infrastructure exists and is ab...le to continue to contribute to this important program well into the future. BUT, the master plan calls for the decommision and removal of the EBB enclosure. There is absolutely no reason for this to occur and would impose an unnecessary limitation to the breeding program's future. Please sign the petition at http://chng.it/8Rwg9mvk to show your disapproval. If you have time, lodge a submission to the master plan detailing your objections at [email protected]

16.01.2022 The Bush Stone Curlew has been another success story of the breeding program at Serendip Sanctuary. They are an endangered species in Victoria but have bred at Serendip Sanctuary for many years. They have suffered greatly from predation due to introduced species such as cats and foxes. Their survival mechanism, to freeze in position when feeling threatened, served them well with visual hunters but not since the arrival of feral animals that hunt by scent. The curlew is a...lso impacted by removal of habitat, being logs, fallen branches and long grasses which they shelter in during the day to stay safe. If the enclosures are removed from Serendip Sanctuary these amazing, ungainly critters will likely not remain due to increased stressors. Here is a video of one of the chicks recently hatched and currently strutting around the sanctuary. Please sign the petition at http://chng.it/8Rwg9mvk to protest the proposed changes at Serendip Sanctuary. If you can afford the time, email a submission to Parks Victoria, to register your feelings about the plan at [email protected]

11.01.2022 For those of you who would like some details on the proposals for Serendip Sanctuary and the You Yangs, here is the link to the site where you can get all the information. The entire draft plan can be downloaded, as well as a summary of changes. There is also a survey that can be completed. Please be cautious when answering the questions as some of them seem to be skewed towards giving the answers they want to confirm their vision. One example is this-... 'Open and free flowing nature. Creating a stronger relationship between the You Yangs and Serendip Sanctuary through open and free flowing movements for wildlife and users, creating seamless connections within the precinct. ' On first glance we would all like this concept, but if we do this by removing all wildlife enclosures and allowing free range wildlife, they will not stay or breed within the grounds of Serendip Sanctuary. Please sign our petition at http://chng.it/8Rwg9mvk to let Parks Victoria know about the communities concerns. #saveserendip #serendip #SaveOurSanctuary #SOS https://engage.vic.gov.au/future-investment-you-yangs-and-s

09.01.2022 One of the major changes proposed in the master plan is the consolidation of the Parks Victoria staff facilities. The plan proposes to place all staff facilities at Serendip and remove them from the You Yangs Park. Concerns that have been raised about this plan include 1-that the You Yangs is the larger park and, therefore requires a greater Parks Victoria staff presence to deal with visitors and ongoing maintenance, safety and other issues. Moving the staff to Serendip wil...l negatively impact these important contributions that Parks Victoria staff have within the park precinct. 2-moving all the maintenance sheds and other facilities, including storage of vehicles, to Serendip Sanctuary. This means the staff will be less able to respond to events in the You Yangs when necessary and in a timely manner. This is especially of concern when related to fire prevention and visitor safety. 3-Placing all this infrastructure at Serendip Sanctuary, again reduces the space available for wildlife. The proposal is to place it in the centre of the Sanctuary, requiring removal of wildlife enclosures, contrary to the current wildlife conservation efforts of the sanctuary. The map below shows the proposal and also clearly states the intention to decommision the captive breeding capability as well as most, if not all of the other wildlife enclosures. This increased noise, movement, personnel presence and other disturbances will lead to wildlife leaving the area. Please make you voice heard by signing the petition at http://chng.it/8Rwg9mvk and making a submission to the master plan at [email protected]. #saveserendip #serendip #SaveOurSanctuary #SOS

08.01.2022 The future of Serendip Sanctuary is under threat. Please sign the petition to ensure this amazing asset continues to form part of Victoria's animal conservation efforts into the future. #saveserendip #serendip #SaveOurSanctuary #SOS... http://chng.it/8Rwg9mvk

05.01.2022 Education has always been an important part of what Serendip Sanctuary has offered. After the deterioration of the educational displays on offer, it is good to see an ongoing commitment to education. However, even with this proposal from Parks Victoria, there are some concerns. 1-The proposed education centre will also be situated over the current captive breeding pens. This would obviously also require the removal of this important infrastructure. Situating the education... centre in the middle of the Sanctuary will lead to increased stressors such as noise, movement and potentially littering which will lead to wildlife leaving the area. 2-The proposed education centre is to focus on the wetlands of Serendip Sanctuary. But the Serendip Sanctuary area is much more than just wetland. Serendip has 3 different Ecological Vegetation classes (Plains Grassland, plains woodland and sub alpine woodland). The You Yangs park has, again, completely different ecological vegetation classes With the effects of climate change, the area is slated to become less wet, causing further interruption to the wetlands and potentially the loss of them. It is short sighted to have an education focused on one asset that is likely to deteriorate over time and ignore all the other biodiversity the region offers. #saveserendip #serendip #SaveOurSanctuary #SOS

01.01.2022 The master plan identifies challenges such as housing development, noise and traffic issues when setting the context on the problems Serendip Sanctuary faces in the future. It then goes on to recommend developing commercial partnerships with nearby private land holders and other private businesses , to organise more frequent, larger events next to and within the Sanctuary. These include music festivals, farmers markets, camping and other ideas. Going ahead with these func...tions would prove catastrophic to any remnant wildlife populations that decided to stay in the park if enclosures and breeding pens were removed and would potentially disturb any bird populations on the wetlands to the point where they would not return. At least if wildlife continue to be held in enclosures they would have some chance at becoming a desensitised to the disturbances without coming to harm. Commercial activities which lead to a disturbing of captive or wild animal populations must be seen as a challenge. Those that do go ahead in nearby sites need to ensure they are done in a way that is sensitive to the wildlife population of the Sanctuary. Camping should not be permitted in the grounds due to wildlife stress, noise, increased traffic and the degradation of the environment that it could cause. Please sign the petition at http://chng.it/8Rwg9mvk and consider making a submission to the master plan, outlining your opposition to such proposals at [email protected].