It has been another busy period for the Hotspots team with the successful completion of the first year of delivery under the revised 2 day program model. Over the 2011-12 financial year the team delivered the program to 17 regional communities across NSW and this year is looking to fill up quickly.
The Hotspots team is beginning to introduce community monitoring as part of workshop delivery with interested landholders. Providing landholders with the opportunity to build on the skills gained during the workshop series and implement basic vegetation, animal identification and fuel load monitoring techniques before and after prescribed burning. Using camera traps, landholders are discovering the types of species they have on their properties and gaining practical insight into how careful land management practices can maintain or improve fire management for both risk and biodiversity.
The Hotspots team is also pleased to continue to be part of other important fire related initiatives including a project working with the Endangered NSW North Coast Emu (a Hotspots and Firesticks Project collaboration); Restoring Habitat for National Threatened Species in the Border Ranges (a Northern Rivers and Southeast Queensland Consortium collaboration); and using Fire as a Restoration Tool in Cumberland Plain (an NCC Bushfire Program project).
As always, the Hotspots team would like to hear from you… please forward your feedback, and be part of our regular “have your say” article.
The Hotspots Team