Tag Archives: Bushcare

There is a little bit of magic happening on Wednesdays at the Planetary Health Centre as young volunteers from Kindlehill School, and Council staff, work together to create a demonstration site for the wider community. This hands-on program is inspiring all involved, including teacher Sarah Daniel.

There’s a small group of passionate Blue Mountains Bushcarers who meet monthly to collect and clean local native seed. We met up with them to find out how and why they cooked Banksias to release seeds, how they cleaned the seeds of a variety of different Gahnia species, and why they love being part of the Bushcare Seed Collectors Group.

Skill Share Saturdays, held at the Planetary Health Centre on the first Saturday of every month, are a way to re-set and put aside a few hours each month to have some fun and learn something new: from Tai’chi to fashion upcycling, bushcare and more.

The concept of planetary health is rapidly gaining attention globally, as the world increasingly confronts the interconnected challenges of environmental degradation, climate change, and public health crises. But what does the term 'planetary health' really mean, and why does it matter?

Volunteering offers mutual benefits for the helper and those helped. Along with a sense of empowerment, purpose and contribution, it can give us skills for the workforce, new friends and social connection. While this list is by no means exhaustive, it offers a wide range of options for where to help out in our local community.

Renewed efforts to save the Dwarf Mountain Pine in light of its potential upgrade to ‘critically endangered’ status are giving greater recognition to a rare and unusual prehistoric native in our midst.

The first Blue Mountains Planetary Health Day was held on 24 February 2024 in Katoomba, and was a huge success with an estimated 600 attendees. With the goal of equipping people with the knowledge and resources to achieve their sustainability goals, the day featured workshops, stalls, activities and much more.

After focusing on protecting NSW wilderness areas for more than 30 years, conservationist Keith Muir turns his attention to his own Blue Mountains backyard.

Almost 30 years ago, the Blue Mountains Wildplant Rescue Service began salvaging local plant species from building sites. Its Katoomba Native Plant Nursery continues to preserve and propagate the plants of our World Heritage area while helping locals recreate a piece of the bush at home.

While Blue Mountains residents are all too familiar with the more visible impacts of climate change such as floods, droughts and fires, another lesser known impact of extreme weather is urban forest decline and tree death.