The Bays Bushcare was formed in 2018 after a group of locals who are passionate about the environment reached out to Council wanting to play a part in maintaining the natural beauty and biodiversity in their pocket of the Central Coast at Phegans Bay.  

In the 5 years since, the group have achieved great things working on their site by removing weeds and planting native species grown in Council’s nursery, contributing to an increase in native biodiversity. The site is part of Council’s Coastal Open Space System (COSS) and provides habitat for native fauna, with many large hollow-bearing trees scattered across the site and providing connectivity to other native bushland reserves close by.  

As with most groups in the EVP, The Bays Bushcare have wanted to increase their member numbers to keep achieving great results on their site and to educate the wider community about environmental issues in the Bays area which encompasses Horsefield Bay, Phegan’s Bay and Woy Woy Bay.  

After discussing some potential options with the volunteers for promoting the group and site, EVP staff and representatives from the volunteer group set about planning a promotional morning for Sunday 7th May to showcase the work that the volunteers do, making the best use of the site and drawing in the community.

A new interpretive sign had also been developed and installed in the lead up to the event which aimed to help increase awareness about the local fauna, flora, environmental volunteering activities and Phegans Bay site being a COSS reserve.  

It was a wonderful community event with a breakfast BBQ that provided an opportunity to meet volunteers from The Bays Bushcare Group. The following activities were also running throughout the morning:

• Guided tours of the volunteer work areas, with discussions about all the important work happening at the site.
• Kayak tours to showcase the site from the water and learn about important projects happening to help improve the health of the Brisbane Water estuary.  
• Discussions with Environmental Education staff about the newly developed signage, responsible pet ownership in the area and other upcoming educational events.
• Further information was available for people to take away with them in the form of educational flyers and materials.  

During the guided walk, 15 community members learnt about the Coastal Open Space System, Environmental Volunteer Program, the history, ecology and biodiversity of the site and heard volunteers from the group talking about the work they do, why it is important to them as well as the social benefits that come from being a part of a Bushcare group.  

Thirty people enjoyed exploring Brisbane Water by kayak. The paddle was a great way for people to see the estuary up close, including some beautiful seagrass beds. The groups also got to see the foreshore of the reserve and see some great bird life up close. The kayakers  paddled further around to Phegan's Bay and looked at some erosion issues and talked about the impacts of development on the foreshore.

The Bays Bushcare event is a great example of the different types of events environmental volunteers can host to help boost volunteer numbers and widen their reach within the community. It may take some careful planning and support from your group, however it is well worth the positive change to your local community and environment.

If you have any ideas to have an educational and promotional event at your volunteer site please discuss this with your groups’ Officer or contact us through 
environmentalvolunteering@centralcoast.nsw.gov.au

The article was written by Nick Carson and Carlita Dhillon, Environmental Education Officers, and Ben Feltham, Environmental Volunteer Program Officer