It’s been a hectic start to the year for us in the Environmental Volunteer Program!

Towards the end of 2023, Ben Feltham took on another role at Council as a Conservation Management Support Officer. Then at the start of 2024, so did Jenna Markwick, taking on the role of Estuary Management Officer. This is fantastic news for Ben and Jenna. I’d like to congratulate them both on moving into their new roles, and to offer my thanks to for all their work in the EVP.  I also  wish them all the best as they take the next steps in their progressing careers.

Here are some of their reflections:

“Reflecting on my time with the Environmental Volunteer Program, one word comes to mind – Growth. I joined the team in 2018 shortly after the birth of my daughter, which is why I chose growth as the word to sum up my time with the EVP. Across the five years working with the energetic and passionate volunteers within the program, I witnessed the program, our volunteers, my colleagues and even myself grow. Just as I watched my daughter grow. With numerous challenges along the way over the past five years, it was pleasing to see the resilience in my colleagues, myself and importantly the volunteers come to the forefront and meet these challenges, learn from them, succeed, and grow. I have now moved to a new role as Conservation Management Project Officer within the newly formed Conservation Management Team at Council. The Conservation Management team focusses on conserving, protecting, and enhancing the biodiversity of the Central Coast. In this role I support long-term sustainable management of the Central Coast’s natural assets through the implementation of strategies, conservation agreements and management plans to protect and enhance biodiversity, ecological integrity and natural processes. The growth I have mentioned across the EVP over the last five years gives me confidence that as I leave, the program is in very capable hands.   I look forward to hearing about the successes of the program, just as I enjoy hearing about the success and milestones from my daughter as she ventures into her new world of being a big schoolgirl.”  Ben Feltham

“After four glorious years working with the amazing volunteers of the EVP, the opportunity arose for me to work full-time with the Catchment to Coast team in Council managing our estuaries.  Waterways, and in particular catchment management, has always been a passion of mine, having spent over a decade working on-ground in constructing and maintaining water quality improvement devices and rehabilitating natural areas for estuarine health.  One of the main projects I’m undertaking with my team is the development of our region’s Coastal Management Programs (CMP). CMPs set out the long-term strategy for managing our coastal zone. The Tuggerah Lakes CMP is my key focus, and working with the community in finalising the Tuggerah Lakes Wrack Management Strategy has been my priority over the last 12 months.  I love my new role, but I do miss working with the EVP’s amazing volunteers. You legends are giving up your time to make a real difference in your local environment!  Prior to working with the EVP I had little to no understanding of the achievements of volunteers. It didn’t take long for me to recognise just how important volunteers are, and the valuable contribution you all make - not only to the environment but to the broader community.” Jenna Markwick

It's an exciting time for us and we are now in the process of recruiting Officers to rebuild our team.  The Officer roles have proven to be a great place for staff to take on a variety of projects, to work with the community in delivering our volunteer program, and for our staff to build their skills and progress in their careers. Fingers crossed, the next edition of our eNews should have us introducing you to some new members in our team.

National Volunteer Week is from 20 to 26 May. Not that we need any excuse, but it’s a great time to reflect on the work that all our volunteers do to help look after our bushland reserves and public places across the Central Coast. We are hoping to offer some events throughout the week, with activities in the planning stages for the north and south of the coast. Throughout the last year our volunteers have completed more than 15,000 hours of work across their sites. This is an incredible contribution, and we are proud to be able to work with you all. More information will be sent directly to our environmental volunteers as we get closer to the week.

National Tree Day is on Sunday 28 July this year. While it still feels like a long way away, we are well into the planning and site preparation for this year’s events. Last year’s NTD events were a great success, and we are hoping to build on these and grow them each year (pardon the pun). We will be back at the Porters Creek (Wyong) and Killcare Beach sites again this year and hoping to plant as many as 2,000 plants on the day. Fingers crossed that we get beautiful weather like last year and that the community comes out in full support on the day. Please keep this day free in your calendar, we’d love you to come along and help us at one of our planting sites too.

Swift Parrots will soon be returning to the Central Coast (we hope). Nick Carson has written a very entertaining article all about these beautiful birds, ‘Swifties Era’. Please read the article to learn about these birds and how citizen science is helping the conservation management of this critically endangered species.

The ‘Coastal management programs’ article, from Ash Kelly, is a very educational read about the process that Council is working through to develop 10-year action plans for managing our waterways. As volunteers, and as residents, these CMP’s will have an influence on our daily lives for many years to come. I encourage you to read the article, and to stay up to date through the linked website, as these CMPs continue to be developed.

The next two articles in this eNews are from our Biosecurity Officers. ‘Why we manage foxes – protecting our unique wildlife’ is from Linda, and is all about foxes, what Council is doing to control them, and how you can help. ‘Weeds to watch!’ is from Ivan, alerting you to some weeds to look out for and letting you know what to do if you find them.

The final article in this eNews, ‘Got an issue, we’ve got your tissue’, was written by Jenna Markwick for our September 2021 edition. We often hear about issues on volunteer sites, and more broadly out in the community. Reporting issues directly to Council is the fastest and most efficient way to have these issues investigated and addressed. This article is well worth reading, again.

As always, happy and safe volunteering!

Michael

Environmental Volunteers Team Leader