The Tops Landcare Group
New group formation - caring for country in the Top of our catchments
Community Participation - LP0039-011
The issue
There is a large area of protected lands in the high country near Gloucester, but vegetation on private land is highly fragmented by historical clearing, and remnant ecological communities are threatened by weeds and climate change impacts. The community there has plenty of folk with a caring for country ethos, and Gloucester has an active Environment Group, but there has been a gap in Landcare group support in recent years in the important headwaters country in the Gloucester area.
The solution
With a semi-regular workshop and field day and social media presence around Gloucester and Barrington, Karuah & Great Lakes Landcare has been slowly growing its membership in this area. These members did not have a local group, so we kept an eye out for a potential volunteer group convenor, and successfully sought sponsorship from Hunter Local Land Services for the slowly emerging group. We made stronger connections with the well-established Gloucester Environment Group, who have a big membership of primarily urban and peri-urban folk, but who do a lot in the Landcare space, including Koala tree plantings on private properties. LLS sponsorship funding supported a Rainforest Regeneration field day at Copeland in September 2022, featuring Mid Coast 2 Tops Private Land Conservation officer Isabelle Strachan. This field day provided a platform for the new group to coalesce, a volunteer convenor stepped up, and a local group-based field day was held at her property at Bowman in March 2023. Mid Coast Council provided participants with laminated property aerial maps. From there, the group was underway and self-driven with background auspice support from KGL Landcare, finding a co-convenor and naming themselves The Tops Landcare Group.
The impact
Both LLS supported field days were well attended, with 22 at the regionally promoted field day at Copeland and 12 at the local day at Bowman. As well as sharing ideas and knowledge, the group plan to share energy to help each other manage the weed threat to biodiversity on their properties. The group now has a core membership of 14, has held a self-organised field day on Small Property Holistic Management at Tibbuc in May 2023 attended by 18, and has private land bush regen working bees in the pipeline. The LLS sponsorship has provided the group with bush regen gear including herbicide, tools and gloves.
Learnings
The key to successfully starting a new local group is a passionate local volunteer leader.
A small cash injection can go a long way to help inspire group formation and action.
Key facts
- 3 field days so far
- 52 attendances so far
- Core group of 14 so far