Owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, all Red Hill Regenerators Group activities on Red Hill will be deferred to a date to be advised.

Welcome to the March working bee on Red Hill.  We have had over 80mm of rain so far this February and about half that amount in January, which has helped put some moisture back into the landscape.  Some green shoots of grass are starting to appear, but the weeds – St John’s Wort, verbascum, Briar rose, blackberry are also growing strongly.  The rabbits are eating everything in sight! This month we plan to attack some small blackberry plants and to add some protective cuttings to struggling plantings to give them a chance against the ever hungry kangaroos and rabbits. (more…)

The scheduled work activity on Red Hill on Sunday 2 February 2020 has been cancelled owing to the forecast high temperatures and Total Fire Ban announced this week, combined with the likely poor air quality from the Ororral Valley and other bush fires.

The Regenerators is advised by the Parks & Conservation Service and their ‘Guidelines for Volunteer fieldwork in extreme conditions‘, which addresses extreme temperatures and poor air quality, as measured by PM2.5 levels (to obtain up to the minute information about air quality, there are a number of Apps, including the ‘Air Matters‘ App).

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Welcome to our first Regenerators activity for 2020! The plantings are surviving the worst that the weather can throw at them – maximums of 44oC and no rain since 5 November 2019. During our Christmas break some watering was undertaken by enthusiastic volunteers, but more is required.  Our ever helpful ranger Martin Bajt has topped up our water cubes, which will enable a complete watering to be carried out on Wednesday 15 January 2020, subject to the usual weather warnings. (more…)

Little Eagle about to be released after being banded Stuart Rae

The Red Hill Regenerators applied successfully to the ACT Government on 12 April 2019, for a grant of $30,000 to assist in a study entitled ‘The ecology and movement of ACT’s adult female Little Eagles“

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On 4 December 2019, 20 enthusiastic year 6 students and two supervisors visited Red Hill to experience some of the practicalities in repairing and conserving the environment. One team of students carried buckets of water to support some of the stressed recent plantings, while the other team learned about the many weeds growing on Red Hill, followed by a practical session with hand mattocks to chip them out. The Regenerators thank Canberra Grammar for supporting their local Nature Reserve.

The weather continues to be dry and hot since the Environment Day plantings six months ago.  Further plantings six weeks ago are also suffering, and so this month’s activity will focus on watering all the plantings and spreading the recently delivered (thanks Marty!) cottamundra cuttings for kangaroo protection.  The activity will be followed at 11am by morning tea and our AGM. Time: Sunday 1 December 2019 Work: 0900 to 1100. AGM 1100 to 1200 (more…)

Congratulations to the Red Hill Regenerators volunteers for winning two awards in 2019:

• Awarded an ‘honourable mention’ at the ACT Conservation Council annual Environment Awards: Member Group of the Year award ‘for their work protecting and enhancing the Red Hill Nature Reserve’
• Awarded “Australian Community Media: Landcare Community Group Award” to Ross Kingsland, President, Red Hill Regenerators, at the 2019 ACT Landcare Awards.

More information about grants and awards won the the Regenerators.

More information about the 2019 Landcare awards

For our mid month work activity we plan to lend a hand to our Hughes neighbours on the surprisingly large piece of bushland next to Carruthers Street, between Kent Street and Yarra Glen. On this bushland are a host of small cootamundra wattle plants, which will be easier to remove now rather than when they mature.  As a byproduct, the cootamundra cuttings will be available for protecting our recent plantings.  It’s a win-win!

Time: Wednesday 13 November 2019 Work: 0900 to 1230  (more…)