Trunkey and Neville residents are being invited to join expert ecologists on a series of wildlife surveys on 3-4 June as part of the K2W Trunkey Creek BioBlitz.

Participants will have the chance to help identify and record species during a number of surveys including bird-watching, small mammal surveys, plants and hollow-bearing tree densities.

“The K2W BioBlitz is a fantastic opportunity to explore your neighbouring bushland and to learn more about the plants and animals that share your backyard. It is also a fun and easy way to get involved in helping your local wildlife,” says Mary Bonet, K2W Facilitator.

The event is being hosted by the Kanangra-Boyd to Wyangala (K2W) partnership of the Great Eastern Ranges Initiative, one of the world’s largest conservation projects.

“The BioBlitz brings together a range of our partners which are organisations and community groups that have an interest and passion for helping to conserve the region’s plants and animals. These include National Parks & Wildlife Service, Taronga Zoo, Local Land Services and the Office of Environment and Heritage,” says Mary.

Interactive stalls and talks at the Trunkey Creek Showground – the BioBlitz basecamp – will give participants the opportunity to learn more about their resident wildlife and to meet some of the local animals at the Taronga Zoomobile.

The event kicks off on Friday, 3 June with a ‘Schools BioBlitz’ for invited students which will include educational surveys and talks.

This will be followed by a ‘Night with the Gliders’, an event open to the general public at the Trunkey Creek Pub where two ecologists will give a talk on gliders followed by a spotlighting tour.

The BioBlitz will end with a free, family-friendly ‘Community BioBlitz’ on 4 June where participants can join a range of expert-led surveys in the Crown Lands around Trunkey Creek.

“The K2W BioBlitz is a celebration of the environment and the unique species that share our land. It’s an opportunity to share expertise and knowledge and to work together to achieve meaningful outcomes,” says Mary.

Records collected during the event will be fed into the Atlas of Living Australia, a publically accessible database of Australian flora and fauna.

The K2W BioBlitz will be the first of what the partnership believes will become a popular biennual event.

The event is being funded through grants from the NSW Environmental Trust and Southeast Local Land Services.

For more information on the K2W Trunkey Creek BioBlitz visit www.k2wglideways.org.au

Media contact:

Mary Bonet, K2W Facilitator, ph. 0459 352 892