Rainforest Day 2002
Sunday, 15th September at Rocky Creek Dam 7am - 4pm
The Big Scrub Rainforest Day, Australia's largest annual Landcare Information and education event, is this Sunday, September 15 at Rocky Creek Dam. With all major regional landcare groups, practitioners and businesses attending, it's a chance to gain information about rainforests and their restoration from Australia's leading experts.
The Big Scrub Rainforest Day also provides a chance for everyone to be inspired to do hands on work for the environment, check out what other groups and environmentally orientated businesses are up to, and is also a time for community landcare volunteers to find out about cutting edge best practice bush regeneration knowledge and protocol.
Leading experts on rainforest flora and fauna will be hosting walks and workshops while stalls and displays, entertainment and kids activities will create a festival atmosphere. This, and the final bush dance to end the day, promise to make it a relaxing and family fun day out.
The focus of the day is the Big Scrub. Once the largest expanse of subtropical rainforest in Australia, the Big Scrub covered a roughly circular area where presently Lismore, Ballina, Byron Bay and Mullumbimby are situated. Of the original 75,000 hectares, now less than 1 percent - only 300 ha, of scattered rainforest fragments remain.
The remnant areas contain a rich diversity of flora and fauna, supporting more than 300 species of trees and shrubs. At least 28 threatened species of flora and 22 species of fauna occur in these remnants. Their high conservation value is reflected in the inclusion of the thirty-two largest remnants in the Register of the National Estate.
Vigorously growing weeds smother native plants, seriously degrading forest structure and arresting natural regeneration. Without effective weed control the health and viability of these remnants will decline and future regeneration works will increase exponentially. Landcare remains a crucial field of work in protecting what is left of the Big Scrub.
Presented by the Big Scrub Rainforest Landcare Group, Rainforest Rescue and Richmond Landcare Inc, the Big Scrub Rainforest Day is entirely facilitated and run by local landcare volunteers who will be teaching and demonstrating skills such as bush regeneration techniques and weed control, plant identification, seed collection and tree planting.
Everyone is invited to join the community in celebrating the Big Scrub on Sunday, September 15, from 10am-4pm at Rocky Creek Dam, 15km North west of Lismore. Admission and all activities are free. For a copy of the program or more information contact Kerri Francis Richmond Landcare Coordinator 6627 0120.
Water - Part of Life
Water plays an important role in developing and supporting ecosystems and the community. Due to below average rainfall experienced over the past 12 months, our water resources are being stressed - water conservation is important in order to ensure that as a community we have a secure water supply, and that there remains sufficient water available for essential functioning of aquatic ecosystems.
Management of catchments is also important for the protection of river flows and for improving the quality of water flowing from the hillsides and into our streams. Restoration along watercourses provides a range of chemical, physical and ecological functions including filtering sediments and nutrients, improving stream bank stability and providing terrestrial/ aquatic habitat for a range of plants and animals.
Rainforest regeneration improves the health of our catchments - in promoting healthy catchments we are also promoting good water quality which is one of the key management objectives of Rous Water.
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