In honour of Bill Ryan who passed away in December 2019, Sutherland Shire Environment Centre has created an Activism Award in order to recognise peaceful environmental activism. Bill Ryan’s civility, spirit, and determination have been an inspiration to so many. His long history of engaging in non-violent, direct action was centred in his conviction that civil disobedience and the freedom to protest should be an essential feature of democratic society.
Join us at Kurnell for a Plastic Free Picnic and community conversation around plastic-free solutions!
We will have an informal Q+A with the SO Shire team, including marine scientist and founder, Sarah-Jo Lobwein. We are organising raffle tickets in collaboration with local sustainable businesses too!
Bring your family, friends or colleagues along because together we can make a real difference in the fight to reduce single-use plastic and plastic pollution.
26 July - Join us online via Zoom. Emails can quickly be forgotten, deleted or go to the junk folder, but imagine how much impact and power a BIG pile of personalised handwritten letters will have sitting on the Optus CEO's desk. Let’s put more pressure on Optus to join the likes of Telstra, Coles and Aldi and publicly commit to powering 100% of their business operations with renewable electricity by 2030.
28 July - free online zoom presentation. All welcome. We're so lucky to be surrounded by beautiful bushland in the Shire, but care is needed to manage it. This online zoom presentation hosted by the National Parks Association Southern Sydney branch will feature two speakers: Inspector Scott Deller, the Operational Response Co-ordinator for the NSW Rural Fire Service; and a representative from the National Parks and Wildlife Service. The presentation will cover the importance of environmental assessments and management of endangered flora and fauna when doing controlled burns.
Our guest speaker this year is Dean Kelly, proud Aboriginal man and a passionate voice for nature. He’s a Cultural Leader of the La Perouse community and works across Sydney with the NSW Office of Environment & Heritage and NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service as an Indigenous Community Liaison Officer. Dean believes nature is the greatest teacher and that there are many things we can learn from our environment. We're honoured to have Dean speaking at this year’s AGM, and you are welcome to join us via zoom on 9 September.
The guest speaker for this year's National Parks Association Southern Sydney AGM on 29 September is Harry Burkitt, General Manager of the Colong Foundation for Wilderness. Harry was awarded "Young Environmentalist of the Year" in 2018 by the Bob Brown Foundation, and he leads the Give A Dam campaign against the Warragamba Dam wall raising. In this free zoom presentation Harry will speak about the need to protect the ecological integrity of the Blue Mountains World Heritage area, and current threats it is facing: from coal mining, to issues relating to fire, and what will be lost if the dam is raised.
Wednesday 13 October, 7pm - Join us for an evening webinar to learn about the migratory shorebirds of Southern Sydney. At this time of year migratory shorebirds can be seen in Southern Sydney at the Towra Point Nature Reserve Ramsar site, as well as in areas along the Georges River and Port Hacking. These birds have travelled thousands of kilometres, across multiple continents, over many days to reach our local shores. They are incredible birds with astounding stories of survival against the odds. These birds are currently feeding and resting in our beautiful local estuaries.
Migratory shorebird experts Debbie Andrew and Julie Keating will talk to us about the shorebird journeys and how we can all help protect them.
Wednesday 24 November, 7:15pm, another shorebirds presentation, an opportunity to learn more about their habits and behaviour.
The speakers are Elisabeth Dark and Cathy Goswell from Birdlife Southern NSW, and the presentation is hosted by the National Parks Association Southern Sydney Branch.
Cathy will draw on her extensive experience to talk about Port Hacking bird species and their behaviours, and Elisabeth will talk about the habits, challenges and benefit to the ecosystem of migratory birds such as the Eastern Curlew. Join the zoom meeting at 7:15pm for a 7:30pm start.
It’s the Sutherland Shire Environment Centre catch up picnic, 30 year anniversary, and end of year celebration! Sunday 5 December from 11am to around 3pm
UPDATE: with the wet weather we’ll be meeting in the undercover area next to Audley cafe
There are bbq's, picnic tables, and toilets.
Please save the date! We'd love all our friends and supporters to join us!
(SOLD OUT) Friday 18 February, 9:30am.
The amazing journeys which take migratory shorebirds from one end of the earth to the other and back every year is one of nature’s greatest stories. This talk and tour is all about shorebirds, their migration, phenotypic change, feeding ecology and how they bring together the ecologies of the Earth.
One for the diary - 22 February - the National Parks Association Southern Sydney Branch will be hosting a free zoom meeting on conservation issues with Kane Durrant - respected reptile expert, snake catcher, and dedicated wildlife conservationist.
Kane will talk about his work as an operating partner with Turtle Rescues NSW. When dams are dewatered at development sites, with the animals left homeless, Kane and the Turtles Rescue team capture and release them into suitable habitats in the wild, taking in any injured animals that require care.
If you've ever been curious about wildlife corridors, and wondered what all the fuss is about, now is your chance to find out. Tuesday, 5 April.
Do animals use them? What about all the koalas being killed on our roads? Can wildlife crossings make a difference? Could they help animals survive fires like we had in 1994? Two leading experts on wildlife corridors will share their insights, and respond to questions in this upcoming webinar.
Millions have been spent on wildlife crossing elsewhere across Australia. If one of Australia's best loved National Parks has wildlife corridors will this help stop some animals in the park from becoming extinct?
(SOLD OUT) Friday 15 April, 7:15am.
Often overlooked or a source of confusion for bird watchers, the tiny insectivorous birds of the thornbill, gerygone, scrubwren, heathwren and fairy-wren clades are major players in forest, heath and woodland ecologies. Learn about the ecology of and identification of these birds in the beautiful Royal National Park.
What does it take to save a threatened area, when others don't understand the importance of complex, interconnected ecosystems? What can everyday local people do? Please join us @ Hazelhurst Gallery on 24 April for the launch of Heather Goodall’s insightful book on environmental advocacy and the Georges River. Co-hosted by Oatley Flora and Fauna Conservation Society.
Speakers include Chris Gambian from the Nature Conservation Council.
The launch is free and all are welcome. We are meeting in Hazelhurst cafe from 12.30pm, and the launch will start from 2pm. Seating is limited, so please confirm your attendance prior.
Islands in Indonesia and their legendary Komodo Dragons presented by Ross Jeffree, the National Parks Association's representative on the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas.
Learn about the dragons family tree, their predatory capabilities and notable human victims. Plus other regional delights such as snorkelling with the smartest fish in the sea and a visit to the Hobbit’s Cave on Flores.
Login
