What does a Conservation group actually do?

By Liz Sanzaro

Our focus, is both locally and more broadly, wherever we can lend our support.

Saving Precious Habitat

In Knox, a disused dam on land owned by Dept Agriculture has become the habitat for the threatened Blue Billed Duck, CCS supports Knox Council along with many other groups as this two sided debate is decided at VCAT, whether the duck deserve a home, or whether more houses are built in a way that destroys the lake.

https://www.facebook.com/FirstFriendsofDandenongCreek/photos/theendangered-blue-billed-duck-lake-knox-knoxfield/591823707911148/

Saving Precious Vegetation

At Croydon Station and at Ringwood East Station the decimation of mature trees to make way for the alterations to the rail line. CCS has been lobbying very hard to save at least a portion of the Crane memorial planting along Wicklow Avenue. LXRP have promised to keep 40% of the trees along Wicklow Avenue memorial planting.

Monitoring New Development In Your Area

We encourage residents to sign up to Planning Alerts, to know what properties in your close proximity are to be developed, so that you can object to clear felling or illegal tree removal via your Councillor or straight to the Planning department of your Council. https://www.planningalerts.org.au/

Learning And Informing Our Community

We are active in learning about Climate Change and the effect on certain species, that may succumb.

It is not as easy as choosing trees from WA or QLD and hoping that will work, as different species assist in being food sources for bird life, it needs to be a whole ecological approach.

Collaborating With Business

We work with a local business for half a day, assisting a group of workers who want to give back to the community in a joint planting with MCC bushland team. We have enhanced Ringwood Lake, and this year will plant along Mullum Mullum creek, to help protect one of two major waterways that run through our region.

The moth only lasts about 2 days just long enough to lay eggs for the following year.

Courtesy Australian Museum. An Emperor gum caterpillar.

Croydon Conservation Society is a registered charity, and as such donations can be made, or you can become a member for $15 annually to help support our work.

Utilizing Open Space For Public Use

Along the Healesville freeway reserve CCS supports the concept of temporary or semi- permanent use of the land as passive bike tracks, walking paths, revegetated land with trees to offset what is lost at the rail line. There is a FB group which is already creating change, called Friends of Healesville freeway reserve friendsofthehealesvillefreewayreserve.org

Encouraging Appreciation Of Bird Liife

We have created a demountable tree, that is available free to borrow, for schools or even retirement villages as an activity to create a particular bird (templates available) which can then be mounted on the tree, for a display.