On Sunday 11th February 2018, Tirhatuan Park in Dandenong North was abuzz with family-friendly activities for the World Wetlands Day celebration event hosted by the City of Greater Dandenong.

Over 200 people turned up for this fabulous event, which featured:

• educational stalls
• children’s craft activities
• a wetlands walk
• carp fishing
• African drumming
• a live native animal show.

The Greater Dandenong Environment Group also put on a wonderful display where children could sift for live waterbugs and learn what they can tell us about water quality.

In the evening, the group also ran a ‘Bat Talk and Twilight Walk’ with wildlife expert John Harris, funded through the Living Links program. More than 20 children and adults were excited to see Orb-weaving spiders, Ringtail possums, Grey-headed flying foxes, ducks and a demonstration of thermal imaging and bat acoustic equipment.

Thanks to City of Greater Dandenong staff, Mayor and councillors, as well as the Greater Dandenong Environment Group, Native Fish Australia (NFA) Vic, Dolphin Research Institute and other groups for putting on such a great event to celebrate our precious wetlands.

If you missed this one, never fear, as the inaugural ‘Discover Dandenong Creek Festival’ is coming up on 12^th April 2018 and will feature many of the same fabulous activities, plus much more!

 

Pictured (L-R): Councillors Angela Long, Matthew Kirwan and Maria Sampey; Ian Kitchen (Greater Dandenong Environment Group), John Harris (Wildlife Experiences P/L), Sarah Maclagan (Living Links Coordinator, Port Phillip and Westernport CMA), Kirstine Oh (Conservation Engagement Coordinator, City of Greater Dandenong) and Judith Sise (Greater Dandenong Environment Group).

In celebration of National Bird Week 2017 (23-29 October), three guided bird walks were held in Wantirna, Mulgrave and Dandenong North on the weekend of 21-22 October.

At each walk, experts regaled participants young and old with fascinating facts about the birds that live among us and how we can attract birdlife to our own backyards.

Participants also learnt how to take part as citizen scientists in the Aussie Backyard Bird Count which runs throughout National Bird Week.

These events were held through Living Links as part of the $1 million ‘Transforming the Dandenong Creek corridor into a world-class urban Living Link’ project, funded through the Victorian Government’s statewide Our Catchments, Our Communities four year initiative.

Special thanks to our partners – City of Maroondah, City of Knox, City of Monash, City of Greater Dandenong, First Friends of Dandenong Creek and Birdlife Australia.

The 2017 Aussie Backyard Bird Count counted over 2 million birds across Australia. For more information, including how you can get involved next, year, visit the Aussie Backyard Bird Count website.

 

 

Celebrate National Bird Week 2017 by taking part in a guided bird walk at a reserve near you.

You’ll hear from bird experts about the fascinating birds that live amongst us, learn how to create habitat for birdlife in your own backyard, and receive training to participate in the Aussie Backyard Bird Count citizen science program.

There are three walks to choose from:

• Saturday 21 October, 10am-12pm
  JW Manson Reserve, Selkirk Ave, Wantirna
  Register now via EventArc
• Sunday 22 October, 10am-12pm
  Mulgrave Reserve, Garnett Rd, Wheeler’s Hill
  Register now via EventArc
• Sunday 22 October, 2pm-4pm
  Tirhatun Park, Kriegel Way, Dandenong North
  Register now via EventArc

Please wear sturdy enclosed footwear, sensible outdoor clothing and bring your own water bottle. If you have binoculars, please bring them too.

All ages are welcome but please note that children under 18 must be accompanied by a responsible adult at all times.

For more information phone 8781 7900 or email enquiries@ppwcma.vic.gov.au.

These activities are funded through the Living Links project with support from the Victorian Government’s Our Catchments, Our Communities initiative. Project partners include:

Work has now begun on the first environmental projects being delivered through the $1 million ‘Transforming the Dandenong Creek corridor into a world-class urban Living Link’ project.

Over the next three years, 35 high priority sites along the Dandenong Creek will be enhanced through weed control, revegetation and other environmental activities to strengthen this important corridor for wildlife and people.

As part of the project, the City of Greater Dandenong is hosting a community planting day at Tirhatuan Park on Saturday 19 August. This site adjoins the Dandenong Creek and will be transformed from a grassed open area to natural bushland. This will extend and connect habitat for wildlife and make the area more scenic for users of the Dandenong Creek Trail.

In preparation for the planting day, a group of students from Dandenong High School’s ‘Operation Newstart’ program helped spread five truckloads of mulch across the planting area in June.

If you would like to participate in the community planting event, visit the City of Greater Dandenong website for more information.

The ‘Transforming the Dandenong Creek corridor into a world-class urban Living Link’ project is part of a $1 million grant to Living Links from the Victorian Government’s Our Catchments, Our Communities initiative. Project delivery it is a partnership involving the Port Phillip & Westernport CMA, Parks Victoria, Melbourne Water, local community groups and the Cities of Maroondah, Knox, Greater Dandenong and Casey.

 

Living Links has been awarded a grant of $1 million from the Victorian Government’s ‘Our Catchments, Our Communities‘ initiative to implement priorities of the Regional Catchment Strategy.

The ‘Transforming the Dandenong Creek corridor into a world-class urban Living Link’ project will undertake a range of on-ground works to enhance and connect green spaces in a 22km corridor of the Dandenong Creek between Bayswater North and Dandenong to enhance local flora and fauna, help threatened species and improve water quality.

Delivering it over the next 3.5 years is a partnership involving the Port Phillip & Westernport CMA, Melbourne Water, Maroondah City Council, Knox City Council, Greater Dandenong City Council, City of Casey, Parks Victoria and local community groups.