St Helens
St Helens Project is based around the last known wild population of southern brown bandicoots in Moyne and Warrnambool local government areas. The project has been operating since 2011 to preserve, protect and connect the bandicoot habitat across public and private land inland from Yambuk.
Specific project actions are:
- Controlling red foxes within 40 ha of Parks Victoria Reserve on a monthly basis. Additional bi-annual fox control within forestry plantations surrounding the Parks Victoria Reserves funded by three international forestry organisations – ABP, SFMES, and P.F. Olsen. Coinciding with these programs is a coordinated private land fox program by local farms. These actions have been facilitated by B2B since 2013.
- Revegetation and habitat creation within two Parks Victoria Reserves including supplementary planting of habitat species from seed collected within sites as well as installing nest boxes made by local schools with Bunnings Warrnambool. In 2019 we will be trialling macropod/fox proof enclosures within the reserves to speed up regeneration and provide safe harbor for bandicoots to breed in.
- Weed Control within two Parks Victoria Reserves to address threats to reserves health as well as those that pose a risk to adjoining private land. This includes Asparagus Fern and Cape Tulip. Periodic control of Weeds of National Significance on unused road reserves that are wildlife corridors. This includes Broom, Gorse, Briar Rose and NZ Mirror Bush. Assisting private landholders (incl forestry) with locations of these weeds on their land adjoining crown land and supporting long term removal programs.
- “Sustainawool” promotion to assist project supporters who are farmers in the project area to showcase their custodianship of biodiversity on their land via Australian Wool (AWI) publications.
- Education and knowledge sharing by hosting fieldays on pest control and providing photos of species on social media for community and stakeholders to share and enjoy. We also have a partnership with Brauer College Warrnambool to support rural skills training in fencing and nest box creation.
