CHEN – Page 3 – Cattai Hills Environment Network

Eucalyptus species ‘Cattai’

CHEN Conservation, Threatened Flora (plant) species May 12, 2020May 14, 2020Conservation, eucalyptus cattai 5 Comments

By Jacqueline Britton
Cattai Aware Project Officer (Rural)

Australia has over 700 species of eucalypts but did you know we have our very own species of eucalypt found only in the Cattai catchment, called Eucalyptus species Cattai. The species is very rare and has been listed under New South Wales and Commonwealth environmental legislation as Critically Endangered as it is facing an extremely high risk of extinction.

It has been recorded in Glenorie, Annangrove, Kenthurst, Glenhaven and Kellyville.

It is a small, mallee-form tree that can grow up to 4.5 m with thick, furrowed and fibrous bark. Adult leaves are dark green and glossy, and paler on the underside. It can grow individually or in small clustered groups usually around sandstone ridgetops in scrub, heath or low woodland.

Some of its threats are clearing, urban development and altered fire-regimes. Fire is essential for seed germination.

I recently visited for the first time, the Eucalyptus species Cattai population in Heath Road, North Kellyville. At this location there are a number of trees growing along the ridgetop in a pocket of bushland close to urban development.

One of CHEN’s goals is to increase awareness in the local community of this rare and unique species and to aid its protection.

Information Sources:

NSW Office of Environment & Heritage (OEH) (2019). Eucalyptus sp. Cattai – profile. Available at: https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/threatenedSpeciesApp/profile.aspx?id=10317

Teresa James (2018) Rare and threatened flora of the Hills Shire Council

Platypus Story

CHEN CattaiRural, Citizen Science & Research May 12, 2020May 12, 2020cattaiaware, cattairural, platypus 0 Comment

Authored by Cross et al, Changeology Workshop, October 2017

Based on a true story

Two of our newly arrived residents from overseas were clearing privet on their property. This is their story.

One crisp spring morning we finally came to the bank of the creek. In wonder we gazed at the water running between the rocks and the cool dark pools. Suddenly we saw a flash of fur and a rounded beak. We had never encountered such a strange looking animal before and called our neighbour.

It was a platypus!

Media Release from the ABC:

We still do have platypus in some of our creeks – what can we do to ensure they survive and thrive?

Scientists have joined forces with tech giant Google to build an app that allows Australians to gather information about one of our most unique and elusive animals, the platypus.

Key points:

Scientists say urban sprawl and climate change are big threats to the platypus
The app lets people send photos and observations to an online database
The data will be used in the first national survey of Australia’s platypus population

It is not clear how many platypuses are living in the wild, but conservationists say the star of the 20-cent coin is facing an uncertain future due to urban sprawl and river pollution.

Cut One Third of Your Waste by Doing this ONE Thing…

CHEN Activism & Sustainability, Eco-friendly products & Actions May 9, 2020May 15, 2020individualaction 1 Comment

There is a lot of talk nowadays about how we can better manage our waste more responsibly whether that is concerning single-use plastics, recycling or composting our waste.

It is talked about more undoubtedly due to the severe impact waste ending up in landfill has on our environment, specifically the significant amount of green house gas emissions landfill sites produce.

Not only that, but the population in Sydney, Australia and the rest of the world is rapidly increasing, with a global population estimate of 9 billion by 2050. When the population increases, so does our waste.

Finding where we can individually make small but meaningful changes in our day-to-day lives can make a big difference, especially if we help and educate one another.

In the Hills District, there is concern about the amount of waste we are contributing to landfill. The Resilient Sydney Report by The Hills Shire Council using data collected from 2016/17 found that The Hills Shire were contributing more residual and green waste per capital then the NSW average. To be more specific, residents within the Hills District generate 17% more residual waste per capital and 28% more green waste.

How Can We Reduce Our Waste Going to Landfill?

Fred Caterson Landcare Group

CHEN Bushcare, Conservation May 1, 2020July 24, 2020bushcare, bushcare group, fred catterson, hills district, landcare, the hills bush care 0 Comment

CHEN is offering the chance to be a part of a Landcare Group at the Fred Caterson Reserve in Castle Hill.

This group aims to provide bush regeneration services to the Cattai creek and its surrounding bush land. This may include some days focused on tree planting and weed removal, while other days may be focused on providing citizen science data to numerous organizations. One example of this is working with Streamwatch to collect water quality data from the Cattai creek. Another may include using the FrogID app to collect data on the frog species in the area and submitting it to the Australian Museum for research.

The WINNER of the Cattai Challenge is…..Leanne Tran!

CHEN Activism & Sustainability, Cattai Challenge, Earth Day 2020 April 22, 2020May 4, 2020cattaichallenge, cattairural, earthday, individualaction 0 Comment

The WINNER of the Cattai Challenge is…
The WINNER of the Cattai Challenge is…..Leanne Tran!!Her Eco-tip was Worm Farming! This enabled her to divert her household food waste from landfill and instead use it for her worms 🐛😁We are very excited to give away our Eco- Bundle to Leanne and we thank her for sharing with us her Eco-tip 💚
Posted by Cattai Hills Environment Network CHEN on Wednesday, 22 April 2020

Her Eco-tip was Worm Farming! This enabled her to divert her household food waste from landfill and instead use it for her worms.

We are very excited to give away our Eco- Bundle to Leanne and we thank her for sharing with us her Eco-tip.

Day 14 of the 14 Day Cattai Challenge – Happy Earth Day

CHEN Activism & Sustainability, Cattai Challenge, Earth Day 2020 April 22, 2020May 1, 2020cattaiaware, cattaichallenge, earthday, individualaction 0 Comment

Happy Earth Day Everyone!

Today’s last and final Eco-tip is concerning the plastic endemic again!

When out food shopping, instead of using plastic bags to hold your fruit and vegetables, bring with you some Reusable Produce Bags!

The ones I have, from EVERECO are actually made from Recycled plastic water bottles! So that is another Eco bonus

These Produce Bags come with our Eco-bundle too, so be sure to post a photo of you helping your environment on our page by 5pm today to WIN our Eco-bundle!

Best of luck!

Day 13 of the 14 Day Cattai Challenge – Reduce Your Purchasing Habits

CHEN Activism & Sustainability, Cattai Challenge, Earth Day 2020 April 21, 2020May 4, 2020cattaiaware, cattaichallenge, earthday, individualaction 0 Comment

Today’s Eco Tip is about reducing our purchasing habits.

Clothing is a great example of an item that we purchase regularly, and it has been getting more regular as fast-fashion becomes more prone in our society.

The production of clothing uses a lot of our natural resources such as land and water.

‘In fact, it takes on average 10,000 litres of water to cultivate just one kilogram of raw cotton Read more…

Day 12 of the 14 Day Cattai Challenge – Recycling your Soft Plastics

CHEN Activism & Sustainability, Cattai Challenge, Earth Day 2020 April 20, 2020May 1, 2020cattaiaware, cattaichallenge, earthday, individualaction 0 Comment

The Eco tip of the day is Recycling your Soft Plastics!♻️

Collect your soft plastics and return them to Coles or Woolworths, where they will be a bin waiting for your waste to be recycled!

Having ONE Bin in the household was the norm, where all our waste went straight to landfill. Nowadays there are other ways we can dispose of our waste more thoughtfully. 😁

Soft plastics include:
– Shopping bags including ‘green’ bags
– Fresh Fruit and Veggie bags and wrappers
– Bread bags
– Cereal box liners
– Biscuit wrappers and confectionary packaging
– Rice and pasta packets
– Frozen food bags

Day 12 of the 14 Day Cattai Challenge! The Eco tip of the day is Recycling your Soft Plastics!♻️ Collect your soft plastics and return them to Coles or Woolworths, where they will be a bin waiting for your waste to be recycled! Having ONE Bin in the household was the norm, where all our waste went straight to landfill. Nowadays there are other ways we can dispose of our waste more thoughtfully. 😁Soft plastics include: – Shopping bags including ‘green’ bags- Fresh Fruit and Veggie bags and wrappers- Bread bags- Cereal box liners- Biscuit wrappers and confectionary packaging- Rice and pasta packets – Frozen food bags

Posted by Cattai Hills Environment Network CHEN on Sunday, 19 April 2020

Day 11 of the 14 Day Cattai Challenge – Support an Organisation

CHEN Activism & Sustainability, Cattai Challenge, Earth Day 2020 April 19, 2020May 1, 2020cattaiaware, cattaichallenge, earthday, individualaction 0 Comment

Today’s tip is all about supporting an organisation that is making fundamental change to Australia’s bush land.

I am donating to Bush Heritage Australia

“They buy and manage land for conservation and partner with Aboriginal groups and other land owners (such as farmers), to help them plan and achieve conservation goals on their land too”

Day 11 of the 14 Day Cattai Challenge!
Day 11 of the 14 Day Cattai Challenge!Today’s tip is all about supporting an organisation that is making fundamental change to Australia’s bush land! I am donating to Bush Heritage Australia!“They buy and manage land for conservation and partner with Aboriginal groups and other land owners (such as farmers), to help them plan and achieve conservation goals on their land too”Link to website: https://www.bushheritage.org.au/what-we-doIf there is an organisation that you have heard of and you love the work they are doing for the environment, help them out by donating, sharing their work on social media or even find out about volunteering opportunities!It’s a great way to help our local environment from home during isolation.If there is an organisation you love, please share it with us on our page! That can be your way of entering the Cattai Challenge as you help your local environment by spreading the good work of these organisations. 🌳😊
Posted by Cattai Hills Environment Network CHEN on Saturday, 18 April 2020

Link to website: https://www.bushheritage.org.au/what-we-do. You can also find them on Facebook and learn about the properties and species they encounter day to day on their Instagram @bushheritageaus.

If there is an organisation that you have heard of and you love the work they are doing for the environment, help them out by donating, sharing their work on social media or even find out about volunteering opportunities.

It’s a great way to help our local environment from home during isolation.

If there is an organisation you love, please share it with us on our page! That can be your way of entering the Cattai Challenge as you help your local environment by spreading the good work of these organisations.