Red Hill Regenerators win national Landcare Award!
I am delighted to let you know that the Red Hill Regenerators were last night (5 August 2021) announced as the national winners of the Australian Community Media Landcare Community Group Award! The award ceremony was to be held in Sydney at the national Landcare conference but this was converted to an online function including a gathering in Canberra that linked into the national hook-up.
It’s quite an honour to be chosen from all the state and territory finalists. The Award was presented by John Paul Maloney, the Managing Editor of the Canberra Times, which is part of Australian Community Media.
From l to r: Robyn Tulloh, John Paul Maloney, Ross Kingsland, Sarah Todd & Rob Douglas accept the 2021 ACM National Landcare Community Group Award
Red Hill Regenerators have been working on the Reserve since 1989 and we have made a significant impact in that time. You can read a summary of our entry below and feel proud that you have been part of this achievement.
Thank you to all of you who come out in all sorts of weather to work on the hill – weeding, planting, counting and in many other ways. I am constantly amazed at the combination of commitment, deep knowledge and relevant, broad experience that you bring to the group.
In particular, thanks to Michael Mulvaney our founder and guru who continues to inspire and guide us. When I accepted the award last night, I acknowledged Michael’s crucial part in our success and there was spontaneous and loud applause from the audience for his contribution – it was well deserved.
Thanks to Landcare Australia including Karissa Preuss and the team from the ACT, all the Landcare supporters including the Federal Government and Australian Community Media, our ACT partners, the ACT Government Parks and Conservation Service including our wonderful Rangers and the support we received from the ACT Southern Catchment Group. (more…)
Environment Minister Rebecca Vassarotti rejects community claims Federal Golf Course development plan puts rare birds at risk
Canberra Times Thursday 5 August 2021
A community petition has called on the Legislative Assembly to oppose housing development on the Federal Golf Course.
The ACT Environment Minister has rejected community claims a plan to allow development on the Federal Golf Course will damage breeding areas for the gang-gang cockatoo and superb parrot.
Rebecca Vassarotti said the plan, first flagged in 2019, provided the best way forward to protect key environmental values for the area, by limiting scale and location.
“It also enhances protection for biodiversity by recommending the expansion of the Red Hill Nature Reserve to currently unprotected woodland areas of high ecological value in the northern section at Deakin Section 66 and at the Federal Golf Club,” Ms Vassarotti said. (more…)
Red Hill Integrated Plan: Federal Golf Club proposed development
The Federal Golf Club has posted information online about the proposed development on their lease. This proposed development forms part of the Red Hill Integrated Plan. More…
Red Hill work activity Sunday 1 August 2021
Red Hill Regenerators supports the Red Hill Integrated Plan
The Red Hill Regenerators ParkCare Group supports the recently released Red Hill Integrated Plan, which provides the means to bring certainty to the protection and management of the Red Hill environment.
The Plan is a well-researched, professional document that responds comprehensively to the Legislative Assembly Resolution from which it arose. The Plan strikes a good balance between the important need to provide strong protection for biodiversity both inside and outside the Red Hill Nature Reserve, protecting the amenity of residents and allowing for some limited development activity.
It provides an opportunity for adding several areas of woodland to Red Hill Reserve and limits development near Kent Street, Deakin to the existing built footprintThe Plan is a framework document that now requires a great deal of implementation activity, including funds, to deliver real outcomes. We trust (and remain vigilant) that the coming years will bring to fruition the strategic, well informed vision of the Plan.
Red Hill work activity Wednesday 14 July 2021 from 9am
Red Hill work activity Sunday 4 July from 9am
Successful research on Little Eagles on Red Hill published
The Red Hill Regenerators was awarded grant of $30,000 in 2019, to enable a small ACT population of Little Eagles to be tracked using GPS trackers which were attached to four birds. The birds were tracked travelling from the ACT north to Far North Queensland and south into Victoria.
The Red Hill Regenerators learned a lot about Little Eagle ecology and movement and the study of this bird. We learnt that the birds mainly observed hunting on Red Hill, outside of the breeding season, nested on Black Mountain, and that the value of Red Hill for the Little Eagle is as a foraging site. A roosting female (feeding on both rabbits or magpie was observed on a number of occasions). However, involvement in the study has also taught us that the Little Eagle has a complex relationship with the Wedge-tailed Eagle and that increasing hunting on the hill by a new and young pair of Wedge-tailed Eagles may have temporarily made Red Hill a less attractive foraging/roosting habitat for the Little Eagle.
The research will be ongoing. A report titled “The ecology and movement of the ACT’s adult female Little Eagle” was delivered on 21 June 2021 to the granting organisation, the ACT Department of the Environment & Sustainability Development Directorate and can be downloaded here.