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A message from the Hotspots team

It’s been a busy period for the Hotspots team having worked with 15 regional communities over the past 6 months - Corindi, Dundurrabin, Upper Lansdowne, Kulnura, Mount White, Summer Hill, Little Forest and Bombay to name a few. There have been many highlights on the way including positive landholder feedback on the ‘great merits’ of Hotspots to support better property burning practices, working with Indigenous communities within culturally significant landscapes through to being part of a broader collaboration of survey work and fire management planning for the nationally endangered Hastings River mouse.

As we continue to expand our delivery regions, we are looking forward to working in the Lachlan Catchment Management Authority (CMA) shortly. The Lachlan will make our seventh CMA that Hotspots is now established in (the others being the Northern Rivers, Namoi, Hunter-Central Rivers, Central West, Hawkesbury-Nepean and the Southern Rivers CMAs).

Hotspots is most pleased to be an important partner to various additional fire related collaborations that are emerging in the regions, including the Northern Rivers Fire and Biodiversity Consortium, Macquarie University’s National Indigenous Science Education Program (NISEP) and the Firesticks Project to name a few. These promising programs will provide innovative ways in which communities can actively participate in fire management for biodiversity, cultural and risk based values.

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

Workshop delivery

The 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.

To find out more about Hotspots workshop activity, including  recent workshops held at Dundurrabin, Clifton Grove/Summer Hill Creek or Kulnura check out the workshop stories on our interactive map.

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Latest Hotspots Wards Mistake DVD

Sunroom 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 neighbours. Click to find out more and watch the Wards Mistake DVD.

Watch the Wards Mistake DVD or any of our other short films on the Hotspots YouTube channel. Other recent materials include a Hotspots brochure.

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Hunter-Central Rivers CMA Media Release for Hotspots

Following 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 representatives to provide the knowledge, tools and on-ground skills to develop and implement ecologically sensitive fire management plans.

Check out the ‘Neighbours working together to prepare for fire’ media release here.

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Northern Rivers Fire and Biodiversity Consortium

The 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 established focusing on Koala populations, Bell Miner Associated Dieback, Ecological burning constraints and the Eastern Bristlebird.          Read more...

Firesticks Program Funding Success

The 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 more...

Jali Environmental Trust Funding

The 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 more...

Have your say... Rosemary Yates

Rosemary 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 saying how useful this workshop has been and what a great opportunity to listen and interact with different experts in their field, something that has never happened for many landholders before... Read more...

To find out more check out the Dundurrabin Workshop Story and other workshop activity on our interactive map.

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