Our passionate crew of citizen scientists, along with folks from Wildlife of the Central Highlands, have had a jam packed couple of week despite the cold weather. We've been documenting big, beautiful habitat trees in the Toolangi State Forest on Wurrundjeri and Taungurung Country. These special places are critical for the critically endangered Leadbeater's possum.
These fairy possums (Wollert in Wurrundjeri language) have also been spotted recently in the forest. They're lightening fast and often hard to catch on camera, but surveyors are well practiced at recording these critters. Leadbeater's possum get a small protection buffer from logging, but hardly enough to conserve the species.
That's why the end to native forest logging in eastern Victoria is so long overdue.
A small crew also visited forests in the Colquhoun on Brabawooloong Country (part of the Gunnai Kurnai Nation) to survey for threatened plants. The team found a significant population of Long-flowered Beard-heath (Styphelia sieberi), as well as Coast Grey-box (Eucalyptus bosistoana), and Cobra Greenhoods (Pterostylis grandiflora). They also did some nocturnal surveys finding yellow-bellied glider, and even a feed tree.
We'll be preparing reports for government department, and continuing our vital work protecting forests through flora and fauna detection.