Hindmarsh Landcare Network and the Victorian National Parks Association are continuing the Caught on Camera project in 2015.

Caught on Camera is a community-based volunteer project, using motion-sensing cameras to monitor what wildlife is using areas revegetated as part of Project Hindmarsh. Cameras are set up in matching benchmarks of revegetation, remnant vegetation and cleared land on private landholders’ properties to try and “catch” photos of the wildlife using these areas.

This year, Volunteering Western Victoria joined the project and provided local volunteers. The 2015 monitoring began with a training day on Monday 4 May at Snape Reserve, Dimboola, where 6 cameras were set up. After the training day, the Local Landcare Facilitator with the support of the volunteers moved the cameras from one property to the next every three weeks to compare what is happening in the revegetation at different locations.

This is an exciting citizen science project, where volunteers collect important data about the benefits of revegetation for wildlife. If you are interested in being involved, please contact the HLN Landcare Facilitator, Jonathan Starks on jstarks@hindmarshlandcare.org.au or 0429 006 936.

With the generous financial support from VicRoads, Hindmarsh Landcare Network undertook a revegitation project on a private property on the East side of Lake Hindmarsh. 5,000 locally indigenous trees were planted on a sand dune, overlooking the lake, on Saturday, 5th July 2014. 

Over 70 people helped HLN plant trees as part of their VicRoads plantout on 5th July 2014. The plantout site was on the East side of Lake Hindmarsh on private property, and was planted out with 5,000 locally indigenous trees, grown from seed collected in the local area.

Site preparation prior to the event started with the support of a Corrections Victoria Community Service crew helping moving a fence to allow a greater area of planting to accommodate the 5,000 trees. The crew worked well over 2 days to help dismantle and clean up the old fence line and erect the fence in new location.

A call went out for volunteers to help plant trees and we received enquiries from a few people in Melbourne who had attended previous events. We ended up with a handful from Melbourne who joined us camping onsite on both Friday and Saturday nights.

I also approached John Millington to see if we could get support from the Nhill Karen Community. After receiving advice that between 10 or 20 may turn up, we were quite pleased with this, but on Saturday morning a call was received from Wendy Robins with what I thought was disappointing news that only 7 people had turned up at the designated meet up time. This disappointment 

quickly turned around to amazement when carload after carload turned up, and in the final count around 50 members of the Karen community had arrived. They joined Hindmarsh Landcare members and other volunteers for what would become one of my
highlights of the year.

The Karen community were fantastic, and helped us complete the task for VicRoads earlier than expected. During the day, singing was heard across the site. Karen Fuller, HLN Board member commented she has never been to a plantout where there has been so much singing, she said “It adds something special to the event”.

The Karen Community of Nhill are a very special asset to Nhill and we would welcome any future opportunity to work with them again.

Steve Hemphill and Roger Aitken

VicRoads Plantout Coordinators 201470 volunteer tree planters are being sought to complete this task. 

Picture shows the Hindmarsh Landcare team inspecting the site in March 2014.