Restoring the wonderful wetlands of northern Victoria – 16 November 2022

Posted on 9 November, 2022 by Frances

Our friends at Newstead Landcare Group are hosting a special presentation by Damien Cook, local wetland expert and ecologist with Wetland Revival Trust.

Restoring the wonderful wetlands of northern Victoria
Wednesday 16 November 2022 from 7.30 – 8.30 pm
Newstead Community Centre, 9 Lyons St, Newstead VIC

All are welcome. Entry is by donation to Wetland Revival Trust to aid purchase of Wirra-Lo wetlands near Kerang, home to many threatened species including the Growling Grass Frog.

Read on for more details from Newstead Landcare Group.

Wonderful Wetlands

On Wednesday 16th November Damien Cook from Wetlands Revival Trust will be giving a very interesting presentation on his work restoring the wonderful wetlands of Northern Victoria.

President of Newstead Landcare, Asha Bannon says, ‘Damien is an excellent presenter with over 30 years experience in restoring and managing wetlands. Everyone is welcome to join us at Newstead Community Centre at 7.30 pm. The talk will go for about an hour with a cuppa afterwards’.

‘Gold coin donations on the night will go towards a fund to purchase and manage a very special group of wetlands called Wirra-Lo which is 160 km or so downstream from us on the Loddon.’

Damien Cook, Restoration Ecologist and Director of Wetland Revival Trust

Damien has been a keen naturalist for 35 years and has developed a sound knowledge of flora and fauna ecology, identification, and habitat requirements. He is a recognised expert in wetland, riparian and terrestrial ecology, particularly in the factors affecting the establishment and management of aquatic and wetland plants, and the revegetation of terrestrial grassland and woodland ecosystems.

The Wetland Revival Trust has been working with the current owners Ken and Jill Hooper since 2014 to repair and preserve the precious wetlands of Wirra-Lo, one of the last strongholds of the nationally vulnerable Growling Grass Frog in northern Victoria and its wetlands support breeding habitat for the endangered Australasian Bittern.

Damien adds, ‘The woodlands at Wirra-Lo are home to Grey-crowned Babblers, another threatened species. To date 127 species of wildlife, including 100 species of birds, 12 species of reptiles and 8 species of frogs, and 126 species of indigenous plants have been observed at Wirra-Lo.’

The Trust for Nature covenanted property is also of high cultural significance, supporting an Aboriginal oven mound. The Trust engages with the local Aboriginal community to provide training and employment through restoration and management activities.

Frances Cincotta
Newstead Landcare Group

To download a flyer about the Wirra-lo wetlands – click here
For more information on Wetland Revival Trust – click here