When Sharon Smith moved to Acton Park in 2016, she was dismayed by the amount of cleared land she saw along the Tangara Trail. With the help of the Clarence City Council, she set up Friends of Acton Park Reserve, focusing on the area between Five Ways and Sirocco Place.
Local Friends are Climate Champions
The group’s goals are based on the Council’s Reserve Activity Plan. ‘We wanted to re-establish wildlife corridors to support the local population of bandicoots, pademelons, birds and other species,’ said Sharon. ‘Open canopy is great for the big birds, but not for the small ones. They need prickly bushes and understorey.’
With advice from Wildseed Tasmania, a nursery that specialises in native species, the group has planted eucalyptus, banksias, melaleucas, native grasses and acacias.
‘We’ve also been working with the Council to leave certain areas unslashed,’ said Sharon, who has a background in communications and management. ‘As those areas regenerate, native flowers reseed and thrive. It’s so heartening to see what nature will do if we work with it rather than against it.’
The group’s Bandicoot Bunker program has been another winner. Every year, with the help of teachers and parents, prep students from Lauderdale Primary School create refuges that bandicoots and small birds can hide in.
‘The children plant bushes and spread mulch,’ said Sharon. ‘The program has been going for six years and we can see the bunkers starting to take shape.’
The Friends of Acton Park Reserve get together four or five times a year. As well as planting, they weed Spanish heath, and water and mulch new plants to help them survive in a changing climate.
An ornithologist in the group does regular bird surveys, and has spotted swift parrots in the reserve.
‘We try to do defined, practical things so that people get a sense of achievement.’
Sharon sees the future of the group in one-off events. She would like to offer volunteering opportunities to workplaces, and do more walk and talks from June to November when people can appreciate the wildflowers.
‘If we can all get more aware of local species and emerging environmental issues, we can better support our wildlife.’
Friends of Acton Park Reserve has been chosen by Clarence Climate Action as this month’s Climate Champion. The group is affiliated with Landcare and Wildcare Tasmania, and welcomes new members.
Eastern Shore Sun, May 2024, page 6