Latest News
Welcome to the Hotspots News Online latest news. Listed below are all the articles from our current and previous newsletters.
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Fire season update 2018-2019
Posted: 23rd January 2019After a late finish to the 2017-18 fire season, dry conditions were experienced throughout winter this year. As a result, the Bush Fire Danger Period commenced early. Read the full article...
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Site assessment & Monitoring Guide
Posted: 23rd January 2019The Hotspots team has produced a practical guide to help landholders apply simple site assessment, monitoring and evaluation techniques to refine and update property management plans and actions over time Read the full article...
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Canyonleigh workshop participants conduct independent burn
Posted: 23rd January 2019Workshop participants put their knowledge to the test by conducting their own successful burn in NSW’s Southern Highlands in July. Read the full article...
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Upcoming workshops in Tingha, Pappinbarra, Orangeville, Wingello and Tathra
Posted: 23rd January 2019The Hotspots team is planning to deliver workshops at Tathra on the South Coast, Orangeville/Werombi and Wingello near Sydney, at Tingha (near Inverell) and Pappinbarra (near Port Macquarie). Read the full article...
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NCC Fire and Restoration Network Hub January 2019
Posted: 22nd January 2019Recent articles published on the Fire & Restoration site include Hotspots ecologist Mark Graham discussing hollow-bearing trees and the Bonnells Bay area; small mammals and fire regimes; a look at koala management in NSW; and online training in... Read the full article...
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Fires Near Me NSW application updated
Posted: 22nd January 2019As well as bug fixes, new features have been added to the app based on feedback from users. Read the full article...
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2017-18 Fire season – update
Posted: 25th June 2018The 2017-18 fire season, which officially ended March 31, 2018, was a particularly busy one. Since July 1, 2017, firefighters from all agencies responded to more than 14,000 bush, scrub and grass fires that burnt a total of 265,848 hectares across... Read the full article...
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Fire and Weeds Scientific Review
Posted: 25th June 2018Exciting news! After an extensive review process, we are now launching our Fire and Weeds Hotspots Review, which provides a framework of knowledge on fire and weed management for professionals working in and with the Hotspots programs. Click here to... Read the full article...
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Hotspots workshops at Broken Head, Bocoble, Canyonleigh and Wagonga
Posted: 25th June 2018Four Hotspots workshop series have been delivered in communities at Broken Head, Bocoble, Canyonleigh, and the Wagonga Local Aboriginal Land Council. Read the full article...
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Hotspots collaboration in cultural fire project in Jubullum
Posted: 25th June 2018Jamie Bertram from the Hotspots Fire Project has been involved in a project working with the Jubullum Village Aboriginal Community to implement a range of property fire-management projects. Read the full article...
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Workshops planned for 2018-19
Posted: 25th June 2018There are plans to bring Hotspots workshops in the next financial year to the communities of Shannon Creek southwest of Grafton, Penrose in the Southern Highlands, Cobargo in the Bega region, and to deliver a modified workshop series to the Bombay... Read the full article...
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NCC Fire and Restoration Site - update
Posted: 25th June 2018This quarter's Fire & Restoration Newsletter brings you leading germination expert Dr Mark Ooi who discusses the impacts of fire seasonality on plant germination, an article about the protection of bark-eating koalas near Cooma, as well as cool... Read the full article...
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Online Environmental Tools Videos
Posted: 25th June 2018Information and “how to” resources are available for online environmental tools, including Atlas of Living Australia, BioNet, and SEED from the recent webinar delivered by the NCC Bush fire Program. Read the full article...
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Useful links and applications
Posted: 25th June 2018Check out the updated list of resources including tools, databases, and applications you may find useful. Read the full article...
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2017-18 Fire season – December update
Posted: 20th December 2017A late forming La Niña has been declared by the Bureau of Meteorology however indicators suggest that while it is likely to persist over summer, it will be weak and bring little in the way of widespread heavy rainfall. Read the full article...
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Fires Near Me – update available
Posted: 20th December 2017The Fires Near Me NSW application has recently been updated to version 3.1.0 (IOS) or 3.0 (Android). For more information and to check if you have the latest version of the app installed see: https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/news-and-media/stay-up-to-date Read the full article...
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Updated Links and Apps
Posted: 18th December 2017An update on the selection of links that may be useful. If you have recommendations for other sites and applications please send them through to the Hotspots team. Read the full article...
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Fire operational update 2016-17
Posted: 30th June 2017The latest climate outlook from the Bureau of Meteorology and the winter daytime temperatures are expected to see increased opportunity for hazard reduction burning. Read the full article...
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New fire and weeds landholder booklet
Posted: 30th June 2017The fire and weeds Landholder booklet is now available via the Hotspots website. The booklet translates the science from the Hotspots scientific review on the interaction between Fire and Weeds in the Native Vegetation of NSW. Read the full article...
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Wrap-up of the Nature Conservation Council's Bushfire Conference and Field Day
Posted: 30th June 2017The Nature Conservation Council hosted their 11th Biennial Bushfire Conference in Sydney on May 30 to June 1. Over 265 people attended this year's conference, which explored the interactions between fire, fauna and weeds across a range of ecosystems... Read the full article...
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Recent workshop activity in Yarramalong, Yetholme and Tweed-Caldera
Posted: 30th June 2017Hotspots has conducted workshops recently with community members at Yetholme (Hunter), Yarramalong (North Coast) and Uki in the Tweed (Wollumbin) Caldera. Read the full article...
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Pillar Valley Coldstream monitoring Surveys
Posted: 30th June 2017Vegetation, overall fuel hazard load and small mammal monitoring were conducted on and adjacent to the site of the Pillar Valley (Clarence Valley, Northern NSW) workshop in March, almost a year after the prescribed burn. Read the full article...
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New on the Fire and Restoration Network Hub
Posted: 30th June 2017Recent articles published on the Hub include a spotlight on the Burning Hotspots - Gondwana Threatened Species and Fire project and an article on a field experiment in early stage restoration of Cumberland Plain Woodland in Western Sydney Read the full article...
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Joint agency cultural burn following the Hotspots workshop near Mogo
Posted: 30th June 2017In October 2016, Hotspots delivered a tailored workshop with Aboriginal rangers from Mogo and Batemans Bay Local Aboriginal Land Councils. To complement the workshops, fire-fighting training was provided by the NSW RFS to assist in building their... Read the full article...
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Workshops scheduled in Broken Head, Crescent Head, Wingecarribee and Carwoola
Posted: 30th June 2017Planning is underway for the 2017-18 financial year workshops. Click here to find out more and to register your interest in attending Read the full article...
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Update on the 2016/17 fire season
Posted: 10th February 2017There is above-normal fire potential forecast for most central NSW for the remainder of the 2016/17 fire season. Conditions in spring and since November have increased the fire potential. Read the full article...
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Recent workshops in Mt Mitchell, Nerriga and Mogo
Posted: 10th February 2017The Hotspots team have run workshops with communities in the Mt Mitchell (southeast of Glen Innes) and Nerriga (near Braidwood) areas as well as with the Mogo and Batemans Bay Local Aboriginal Land Councils (LALC). Read the full article...
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Registrations open for the NCC Bushfire Conference, 30th May to 1st June
Posted: 10th February 2017NCC is proud to present our 11th Biennial Bushfire Conference 'Fire, Fauna and Ferals: from backyards to bush'. Registrations are now open Read the full article...
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Cooperative koala project - protecting koalas, people and houses from wildfire
Posted: 10th February 2017A fire management plan has been developed through a cooperative planning process to address wildfire risk to a small and highly significant threatened koala population at Tanja (Biamanga) on the Far South Coast of NSW. Read the full article...
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Greater Sydney Local Land Services and Hotspots fire and weed management project wrap-up
Posted: 10th February 2017There have been significant ecological outcomes from a project to restore native bushland on private properties in the Bowen Mountain, Kurrajong Hills, East Kurrajong and Grose Vale areas. Read the full article...
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Hotspots scheduled workshops
Posted: 10th February 2017Hotspots workshop are scheduled for Yetholme, Yarramalong and Chillingham, click here for more details and to register you interest in attending. Read the full article...
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Collaborative delivery between Firesticks and Hotspots
Posted: 10th February 2017Hotspots delivered a two-day workshop series in Mt Mitchell with the Banbai Rangers from Wattleridge Indigenous Protected Area in October 2016. Read the full article...
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Fire season update 2014-15
Posted: 29th June 2015While most of NSW has experienced a fairly quiet fire season, the NSW Rural Fire Service (NSW RFS) as of 31 March, had responded to more than 9,200 bush, grass, and scrub fires that burned 168,687 hectares across NSW Read the full article...
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Community engagement for resilient landscapes & resilient communities DVD
Posted: 29th June 2015A new Hotspots DVD tells the inspiring story of the Burra landholders and the local RFS brigade who attended the Hotspots workshops. RFS volunteer brigade Captain Sharon Field has set up a "Hotspots Cafe", providing a regular forum for landholders... Read the full article...
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Great response to SEQFBC Forum 'Fire, Frogs and Orchids'
Posted: 29th June 2015Over 100 people converged on North Stradbroke Island on March 26 for the 10th biannual fire forum hosted and coordinated by the South East Queensland Fire and Biodiversity Consortium (SEQFBC). The forum focused on new and emerging fire science as... Read the full article...
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Fire season update
Posted: 24th March 2015NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons is urging families to prepare their Bush Fire Survival Plan. Read the full article...
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Workshop activity
Posted: 24th March 2015The Hotspots Team has been delivering workshops in the north, east and south of NSW. Click here to find out more or to register you interest in attending a Hotspots workshop in your area Read the full article...
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NCC Bushfire Conference
Posted: 24th March 2015Nature Conservation Council's Bushfire Conference "Fire and Restoration: working with fire for healthy lands". The conference will be held at the NSW Teachers Federation Conference Centre at Surry Hills on the 26-27 May 2015. Read the full article...
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Hotspots Hotshots and Hotspots Cafe
Posted: 24th March 2015Landholders in the Southern Tablelands township of Burra, 30km south of Queanbeyan have shown a keen interest in implementing what they have learned from the Hotspots workshops. The innovative Hotspots Cafe demonstrates how the program is evolving... Read the full article...
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Literature review for the Border Rivers-Gwydir region
Posted: 24th March 2015The latest comprehensive literature review of the fire and vegetation of the Border Rivers-Gwydir region Read the full article...
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Hotspots Online Fire Management Planning Tool
Posted: 24th March 2015An Online tool to help landholders create a fire management plan for their property. Read the full article...
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Fire Season Update 2013-2014
Posted: 15th April 2014October 2013 will be remembered as one of the most significant fire emergencies experienced in NSW for many years. Read the full article...
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Working with Landholders with Property Vegetation Plans
Posted: 15th April 2014The Hotspots team has been working with the Hunter Local Land Services (formally the Hunter Central-Rivers CMA) to deliver tailored workshops to landholders within the Hunter region... Read the full article...
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New Landholder Booklet for the Murrumbidgee Catchment
Posted: 15th April 2014The Hotspots team has just completed the Landholder booklet for the Murrumbidgee region. Read the full article...
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A New Case study on the Eastern Bristlebird
Posted: 15th April 2014Hotspots has produced a new case study on the collaborative work currently happening in the Border-Ranges region to help save the endangered northern population of the eastern bristlebird. Read the full article...
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Evaluating the Hotspots Program
Posted: 15th April 2014Thank you to all who provided feedback on the Hotspots program via the survey or direct phone calls... Read the full article...
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Dedication to Dr. Phil Borchard
Posted: 15th April 2014Dr Phil Borchard - A legacy and testament to the aspirations of the Hotspots Fire Project Read the full article...
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Upcoming Workshops
Posted: 4th October 2013There are several workshops planned in the coming months in the Central West, Northern Rivers, the Hunter region and the Southern part of the state. Read the full article...
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Facilitating Quick Results in the Corindi Valley
Posted: 4th October 2013In August and again in October 2012, fires burned in to Corindi Valley but both were significantly contained due to excellent preparatory work by the NSW RFS and local landowners as part of the Hotspots program... Read the full article...
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Helping the Eastern Bristlebird
Posted: 3rd October 2013About 100 ha of grassy forest on private land at Gradys Creek in the Border Ranges area near Kyogle has undergone a planned burn in an effort to help bring the endangered Eastern Bristlebird back from the brink of extinction. Read the full article...
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Great Koala Count
Posted: 3rd October 2013Last week 40 landholders participated in the Ashby workshop series to talk about fire management and the Koala. Many at the workshop expressed an interest in participating in the 'Great Koala Count' running from the 7th - 17th of November and you... Read the full article...
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Hotspots working across the state
Posted: 16th May 2013The Hotspots Facilitators and Ecologists have been busy delivering workshops throughout NSW and will soon wrap up delivery for the 2012/2013 financial year. The team is now starting to scope for new delivery locations Read the full article...
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Hotspots staff hands on during the 2012/2013 fire season
Posted: 16th May 2013Several of our staff members were involved in operational activities during the 2012/2013 fire season. Hotspots Facilitators Phil Paterson and Bruce Hansen were involved in fire fighting activities across the state Read the full article...
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Hotspots working closely with members of the Tapitallee Community
Posted: 16th May 2013After attending the Hotspots workshop series at Tapitallee, residents of one property on Lilly Pilly Lane are planning a coordinated, cross boundary approach to manage fire for both risk and biodiversity... Read the full article...
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Hotspots works closely with Hunter Local Aboriginal Land Councils
Posted: 16th May 2013Hotspots has tailored a 2 day workshop program for 5 Aboriginal Land Councils in the Hunter area. These Land Councils came together to collective learn how they can implement fire on their own properties Read the full article...
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A snapshot on Hotspots workshops: A new report
Posted: 16th May 2013Hotspots has developed a new reporting template to collate all the important information generated during each workshop program Read the full article...
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Hotspots camera traps picked up an important family sighting!
Posted: 16th May 2013Camera traps deployed at the Hotspots prescribed burn site has produced excellent results. This includes rare shots of a family of the north coast emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae). This record is of particular importance as it confirms recent breeding... Read the full article...
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Fire and Healthy Landscapes: NCC's Bushfire Conference 4-5 June
Posted: 16th May 2013The Nature Conservation Council of NSW (NCC) Bushfire Program presents its 9th Biennial Bushfire Conference to be held in Sydney. The conference program will explore the role holistic fire management can play in making our landscapes and communities... Read the full article...
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Have your say...
Posted: 16th May 2013Jimmy, a landowner and award winning photographer has been a valued member of the Bungawalbin community since arriving back in 2009. For Jimmy, to own a large block of land adjacent to National Parks and protect it had been on his 'bucket list' from... Read the full article...
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The 2012-13 Fire Season - an outlook
Posted: 9th November 2012Michael Gallacher, NSW Minister for Police and Emergency Services has warned "The coming fire season has the potential to be one of the worst in many years and I urge members of the community in those fire prone areas to heed the RFS warnings and... Read the full article...
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A Summary of our Workshop Delivery
Posted: 9th November 2012Over the last financial year (July 2011 - July 2012) the Hotspots team has successfully delivered 17 workshop series with over 450 participants and preparations for this year are shaping up with workshop scoping and workshop delivery underway. Read the full article...
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The Latest Landholder Booklet - the Lachlan Region
Posted: 8th November 2012The Hotspots team has released the landholder booklet Managing Fire on your Property: A booklet for landholders in the Lachlan. Read the full article...
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The Bucketty Community Prepares for the Fire Season - a Case Study
Posted: 8th November 2012After a history of close calls from wildfire, the Bucketty community in the Hunter are taking back the reins for managing their land through the Hotspots program. To learn more about how, read our case study for the Bucketty workshop series. Read the full article...
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Restoring Habitat for National Threatened Species in the Border Ranges
Posted: 8th November 2012Hotspots was part of a successful joint Caring for Our Country funded project which looks to implement targeted fire management strategies within the Border Ranges (NSW and QLD) to restore critical habitat for the Nationally Endangered Eastern... Read the full article...
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Helping the North Coast Emu - an Endangered Population
Posted: 8th November 2012Hotspots is working with the community at Bungawalbin to help manage fire for the iconic Endangered Coastal Emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae) population. Last census count indicates that only approximately 100 birds within this sub-population... Read the full article...
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Developing a Community Fire Monitoring Kit
Posted: 8th November 2012Dr Phil Borchard, the NSW RFS Hotspots Facilitator for the Shoalhaven region in southern NSW is undertaking a community fire monitoring project with landholders to provide them with the tools to undertake ecological monitoring on their own... Read the full article...
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A tribute to Jane Elix
Posted: 8th November 2012The Hotspots team would like to pay tribute to Jane Elix who sadly passed away in July this year. Read the full article...
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Workshop delivery
Posted: 7th June 2012The Hotspots Facilitators and Ecologists have been busy delivering workshops throughout NSW. Since July 2011 the team has delivered 38 workshops, over 5 CMA regions to 400 participants. Read the full article...
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Latest Hotspots Wards Mistake DVD
Posted: 7th June 2012Sunroom film and TV have produced a ten minute film which follows a group of land managers through the Hotspots training. Landholders include managers of the Indigenous Protected Area of Wattleridge in the NSW Northern Tablelands and their... Read the full article...
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Hunter-Central Rivers CMA media release for Hotspots
Posted: 7th June 2012Following the Lansdowne workshop, Derrick Monks from the Hunter-Central Rivers CMA sent out the media release 'Neighbours working together to prepare for fire'. The two day workshop brought together members of the community and agency... Read the full article...
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Northern Rivers Fire and Biodiversity Consortium
Posted: 7th June 2012The consortium of 22 partners had its fourth meeting in June to discuss details of how the working groups will progress works relating to identified fire related projects across northern NSW. Within the Consortium four working groups have been... Read the full article...
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Firesticks Program Funding Success
Posted: 7th June 2012The Nature Conservation Council of NSW has been successful in a bid to the Federal Government's Biodiversity Fund for the Firesticks program for just under $2.4m to be delivered over 6 years. The Firesticks project will use appropriate fire to... Read the full article...
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Jali Environmental Trust Funding
Posted: 7th June 2012The Jali Local Aboriginal Land Council (LALC) was successful with two NSW Environmental Trust Restoration and Rehabilitation Fund applications. The applications will commence in the 2012/13 financial year for up to three years. Read the full article...
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Have your say... Rosemary Yates
Posted: 7th June 2012Rosemary Yates, a property owner and participant from the Dundurrabin Hotspots workshop series had this to say about the workshop series; "The workshop was great and I'm really supportive of the Hotspots program. All the other landholders are... Read the full article...
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New Hotspots website launch
Posted: 24th November 2011The recently launched Hotspots Fire Project website provides a range of resources for both landholders and land managers interested in sustainable management; including access to Hotspots materials and resources, viewing our workshop activity,... Read the full article...
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Hotspots wins an award
Posted: 24th November 2011The Hotspots Fire Project has been announced 2011 National Winner of the Australian Safer Community Award for Education, Training and Research. Read the full article...
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Hotspots highlights - community stories
Posted: 23rd November 2011In memory of Macca. A tribute to Peter McKenzie-Stuart "Macca" a Hotspots and landholder champion, giving years of dedication to provide us with healthier landscapes. Read the full article...
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Upcoming Hotspots workshops
Posted: 22nd November 2011Hotspots workshop activities across NSW are already well underway with over 20 programs expected to take place over the next year. If you are interested in attending one of our training programs or think your property might make a good workshop... Read the full article...
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Introducing the Hotspots team
Posted: 22nd November 2011Over the last year Hotspots has built into a 12 person team including regional and Sydney based placements. This dedicated and professional team brings a diverse range of skills to the Hotspots program who are looking forward to engaging with... Read more about the team...
